the legend of zelda: the sheild of the sages
by sashawriter
Summary: link goes on another quest.... but this time hes not alone. CHAPTER 21 IS UP!
1. Ralph

A horrible scream reverberated through the castle. The sound echoed through the morning air and was amplified by the large rooms of the castle, awakening all of its inhabitants. Prince Raphael sprang out of his bed.  
  
Ralph: Jamie!  
  
Ralph shot out of his bedroom and into the dimly lit hall. He sprinted down the hallway and busted down Jamie's door. Zelda was on her knees crying and weeping uncontrollably. She was clutching onto one of her daughters teddy bears.  
  
Ralph: what in the blazes is it?  
  
Zelda: she's gone.  
  
She was crying so hard it was hard to hear her. Ralph wheeled around and gasped. Jamie, his beloved daughter, was gone.  
  
Link sat down on a log and stared lazily at Epona his horse as she drank from the stream and rested. Her golden brown coat shone brightly even in the faint amount of light. She had been walking for a long time carrying Link many miles. Link sighed deeply.  
  
Link: what are we going to do Epona? We are starting to run low on money, we don't have a job, we don't know where were going and im-bored stiff. What happened to the good old days when monsters were all over the place and adventures didn't include being boring and pointless? Im sick of these quests that everyone expects me to do. What do think, Epona?  
  
But the horse didn't seem to have much of an opinion because it continued to drink from the brook.  
  
Link: really? That's interesting.  
  
Link, being the hero of time, had gone on many quests ever since the age of ten, back when he lived in the forest and ran among the trees. He could remember the day like yesterday, when he got himself plunged into an adventure to save all of Hyrule from the dark lord Ganon. He battled all sorts of things from fire breathing dragons to fierce wolves, undead mummies to metal monstrosities. Link raced against angry ranch owners, escaped from the fortress of thieves and traveled through the bottom of lakes. But that is a different story and that was ten years ago. Ever since then he had gone on adventure after adventure but nowadays he seemed more like a mercenary then a hero.  
  
Link: well, time isn't waiting for us. Come on. We may reach Chicengra by nightfall.  
  
After a short time he came to a small, out of the way village. The residents seemed to have woken up and were beginning their individual chores and duties.  
  
Link: Ah, perfect.  
  
He let the faint amount of sunlight warm his body. he smelled breakfast cooking from all the houses and only the sounds of chickens, cows and bluebirds. Suddenly, to his left he heard the sound chain mail armor clanking its way towards him. Link looked around and noticed several Hylian troops entering the village and being greeted by several villagers. Hylian troops all the way out here? Link thought. What in the world where they looking for. But Link didn't really care and began to turn around until he over heard what they where saying.  
  
Soldier: By order of Princess Zelda I must demand you tell me anything you might know about a Hylian warrior known as Link.  
  
Link wheeled his horse around and looked at the troop of guards standing before the crowd of curious citizens. Something about that sentence caught his attention besides the fact that his name had been mentioned. What had caught his attention had been the mention of the name Zelda. Link hadn't seen her in a long time if she needed him Link felt it was his duty to help her. Zelda was Links prime alley in his fight against Ganon. In the final fight it was Zelda that imprisoned Ganon in the Realm of Shadows, never to see the light of day again. She imprisoned him after Link entered Ganon's tower and rescued her from her prison. Link had once had fallen in love with Zelda and vice-versa but it wasn't meant to be and Link went away to go on other quest and do other things. He hadn't seen her in years. Link wheeled Epona around and walked towards the soldiers.  
  
Link: Hey, you there. I'm Link.  
  
Soldier: prove it.  
  
Link removed his gauntlets and showed the soldier the Triforce of Courage that was embedded inside his hand. To make a very long story short, Link had been scarred with the ability of extreme courage right before his defeat of Ganon. Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom and Ganon, had power.  
  
Soldier: You must ride to the castle at once. The princess says she has a mission for you. She says it's about Jamie, her daughter.  
  
As soon as the soldier said that, Link leaped on his horse and shot off at the speed of sound. Epona was able to outrun the wind. Legend said that when Link and Epona went there fastest everything from trees to mountains moved so as to not have to reckon with their charge.  
  
Link: Come on Epona you can do better then that. Redefine the word "run"  
  
Epona ran even faster and Link gripped Epona's mane tightly and used her head as a shield against the oncoming wind.  
  
Link: Okay, now stop running.... Fly!  
  
The horse shot off faster then a horse was supposed to run. The surroundings flew past Link in a blur. Epona was the best horse someone would want. It took Link two hours to reach the city {it would have normally been a day's ride}. He galloped trough the open drawbridge and through the city square. He ran up the hill towards the huge, white monolith that was the castle. Link stared up at the hundreds of windows that looked down at him. The green roof sparkled like a million jewels in the sunshine. Link jumped off his horse outside the castle. The drawbridge slowly lowered. Nobody knew that Link and Jamie knew each other. Link hadn't seen Zelda in years. When Link heard that Zelda had a daughter he began sneaking into the castle and taking care of the baby. As the kid grew, Link visited her about once a month. They had become friends. Link listened to her, gave her advice, took care of her and gave her stuff. Link had become somewhat of a father figure to her {more then her actual father, as she admitted and this fact stirred up the utmost rage in him. No stranger should EVER come close to being more of a father to a child then his or her actual one, in Links opinion.}. He had vowed that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Link was extremely jealous of the father {much more then he liked to admit} but he had never had the pleasure of meeting Zelda's husband {good thing since it would probably end with the husband sporting a shiny black eye}. Link also did not like how he seemed to not pay enough attention to Jamie. The bridge came to a stop and Link ran trough the doors. He bolted up the stairs and passageways. Most people would need help maneuvering the castle but Link had been through here many times. He came to the door to the princesses' room and came crashing through it flinging the door open. In her room Zelda was sobbing slightly on the couch. She turned around and stood up quickly. Her face brightened the moment she saw him. She was more buetiful then he remembered.  
  
Zelda: Link!  
  
She ran at him and hugged him. He patted her back softly.  
  
Link: What's the matter with Jam... I mean your daughter.  
  
Zelda: Jamie, her name is Jamie. It's a shame you haven't met her before.  
  
Link: That is a shame.  
  
They sat down on the couch and Zelda told him the story of how Jamie had mysteriously disappeared.  
  
Link: And so you want me to go and find her.  
  
Zelda: Right.  
  
Link: Well that sounds easy enough.  
  
Zelda: Well there is one other thing.  
  
The door opened and in stepped Ralph. Ralph looked at Link then at Zelda.  
  
Ralph: You touch her I swear you'll be dead before you know it.  
  
He pulled out his sword and lunged at Link, who easily blocked it with his own sword.  
  
Link: What kind of blow was that?  
  
Ralph swung his sword again, and again link deflected the blow.  
  
Zelda: stop! Both of you! You look like childhood rivals.  
  
Ralph: Well who the hell is this, and what's he doing here?  
  
Link: I'm Link the most skilled warrior Hyrule has ever seen.  
  
Ralph: you're kidding me. Sorry, I thought you might have been the kidnapper coming back for more. I just didn't expect the famous hero of Hyrule to have tights and wear a stupid fairy outfit.  
  
Link could feel his hands tighten around his sword.  
  
Link: you must be Ralph.  
  
Link gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.  
  
Ralph: yes and you can leave. I was just about to set out to save my own daughter.  
  
Zelda: And that's why I thought Link could help you.  
  
Ralph and Link: WHAT!?! YOU WANT ME TO HELP HIM!?!  
  
Zelda: Yes. Together you'll be better off.  
  
Link: I can do two tasks at once faster then he can do one.  
  
Ralph: She's my daughter and he is a complete stranger, he doesn't even know her.  
  
Link: You'd be surprised.  
  
Zelda: You'll be better off together. Both of you do it for me.  
  
Link and Ralph looked at each.  
  
Zelda: Shake hands.  
  
Link and Ralph shook hands but both held on with such grip, that it nearly broke their fingers. None of them dare show the slightest indication of pain.  
  
Zelda: Good, now link head down to the armory and the kitchen and fetch anything you might need.  
  
Ralph: I will meet you down there in a moment, "friend"  
  
Link let out a low growl and stomped out of the room. Link had never met more of a jerk. He put on quite a show on his way downstairs, not trying to conceal his rage. He stomped on purpose and mumbled under his breath. He got supplies including food and arrows and took them outside next to Epona.  
  
Link: This guy had better have a packhorse because Epona isn't going to be doing any heavy lifting. Fairy outfit! This is part of my heritage! Well, Sort of, but where does he get off insulting me?  
  
Link waited for about fifteen minutes before he got impatient and stormed up to the princesses room.  
  
Link: Come on Ralph; let's get this over with.  
  
Ralph: Im coming, and by the way, Im the leader of this little operation!  
  
Link: Oh yeah, How so?  
  
Ralph: I can do anything better then you!  
  
Link didn't answer. The two of them walked downstairs in a extreme silence. They went to the royal stable and Ralph fetched a black stallion that was larger then Epona. They went outside into the morning air. Ralph quickly loaded the supplies onto his horse and began walking away with it. Link grabbed Epona and followed him. Link thought to himself that this would be a dangerous task, not because of enemies, but because of his comrade. 


	2. The Pecking Order

Chapter two.  
  
Link and Ralph walked through the streets of the town market in a silence. They both hated the fact that they had to work as a team.  
  
Ralph: oh before I forget, Zelda wanted me to give this to you.  
  
He pulled out of his pocket three diamond shaped stones, one red, one green and one blue. Link recognized them as the gifts of the fairies that had served link in his adventures before.  
  
Ralph: well what do they do?  
  
Link: well this one Zelda's favorite.  
  
He took the blue stone and griped it hard. Suddenly link was surrounded in a blue light.  
  
Link: stab me.  
  
Ralph: what? What is that blue stuff?  
  
Link: seriously just stab me, its ok.  
  
Ralph: took out his sword and reluctantly thrust it into links chest.  
  
The sword hit link with a clunk, not harming him at all. It was like stabbing a rock. Moments after that the blue light went back into the stone.  
  
Ralph: wow.  
  
Link: but this ones my favorite.  
  
He took the green one and when he did he vanished before Ralph's eyes. Ralph looked around trying to find where he went.  
  
Link: im up here!  
  
Ralph looked up and saw link sitting on a nearby rooftop. Then Link vanished again and appeared next to Ralph again  
  
Ralph: what does this do?  
  
Link: um, this isn't the best place to use that one.  
  
He pocketed the red stone along with the others.  
  
Link: there not toys anyhow, now lets keep moving, we haven't even left the city yet.  
  
They kept moving through the elaborate town and exited through the open drawbridge.  
  
Ralph: by the way how come your horse isn't takeing this load.  
  
Link: because she's not an ordinary horse.  
  
Ralph: she looks ordinary to me.  
  
Link: she has everything that horse has and more.  
  
Ralph: this horse could beat that little thing in a heartbeat.  
  
Link: this little thing has outrun the horses of Ganons personal stable. This thing has escaped from the hands of the skull kid. This little thing has enough, energy, strength, speed and spirit to beat that horse in every competion there could be.  
  
They walked until they where about twenty feet from the gate when Ralph suddenly dropped all the supplies off his horse.  
  
Link: what are you doing?  
  
Ralph: okay wise guy if you think you are so good lets have a race!  
  
Link: a race? You can't beat me.  
  
Ralph: this is one of the finest horses, in the Hyrules stables. It can beat that sorry excuse of a horse.  
  
Epona neighed and grunted as if to replie to the insult.  
  
Link: okay lets go.  
  
Ralph quickly saddled his horse and jumped on. Link was already on.  
  
Ralph: no saddle?  
  
Link: don't need one. There really useless inventions I find.  
  
Ralph: okay. We race to that tree over there and back.  
  
Link spotted a tree in the distance, a good five hundred yards away.  
  
Link: deal the winner is the leader.  
  
Ralph: agreed.  
  
Link: now lets do this. 1.2.  
  
But Ralph erupted from the starting line before he could finish.  
  
Link: so that's your game.  
  
He shot off after Ralph. Epona caught up more quickly then Ralph would of liked. They tore across the open field like thunderbolts racing towards the ground. Eponas speed was faster then Ralph's but Ralph and his horse where no pushovers. Epona moved towards the other horse and closed in, so that they where nose and nose and link and Ralph could touch each other with ease. Link and Ralph stared each other right in the eye each with the same amount of loathing. They had reached the tree. They both ran around it and headed back towards the finish line.  
  
Link: okay, enough pacing, show them what it means to be a horse. Epona flew down the field rapidly pulling ahead of Ralph. Link knew that this race was in the bag. But suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw Ralph's annoying smile. Some how that other horse had been able to match eponas speed. They where now neck and neck in the final stretch. Ralph punched Link in the Face. Link retaliated and Ralph hit him back.  
  
Link: Epona whatever happens keep running!  
  
Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the faroeres wind, the green gift of the faeries. Link clutched the stone and reappeared on the back of Ralph's horse. The two began clawing and struggling with each other, trying to knock the other one off. Then Ralph leaped onto epona to get away from Link. They kept knocking each other. Link raised the stone to warp back onto epona. But Ralph knocked it out of his Hand.  
  
Link: epona stop!  
  
Epona came to a screeching Halt. Leaving Ralph stranded while Link neared the finish.  
  
Ralph: oh no you don't.  
  
He Ran and retrieved the stone, he had knocked out of Links hand. He quickly warped back onto the Back of his horse, much to the surprise of Link. Ralph wrapped his arm around Links neck and threw him from the horse. Link hit the ground with a thud and was able to watch in horror as Ralph crossed the finish line that Link had just been yards away from crossing.  
  
Ralph: oh yeah, now who has the best horse?  
  
Link: don't blame Epona she did exactly as I commanded, it was my fault that I lost the race.  
  
Ralph: yeah what ever just help me load these supplies onto the horse.  
  
Link reluctantly loaded some of the supplies onto Epona. It was a tight squeeze but they found that they could both ride with the supplies on there horse.  
  
Ralph: well where to?  
  
Link: the forest.  
  
Ralph: you want to venture into the forest?  
  
Link: it's my home. We will be welcomed.  
  
Ralph: maybe so, but ive heard of the dangers that lurk there. They say that there are trees that can suck men into their roots. There are also vicious wolves and moblins.  
  
Link: the Deku keep the woods in order. Besides there isn't anything in those woods I can't handle.  
  
Ralph: even the phantoms that haunt the trees?  
  
Link: oh please. There's just one rule about the woods don't harm them and they wont harm you.  
  
Ralph: yeah right. I wouldn't spend the night there.  
  
Link: neither would I.  
  
Ralph: face it, its suicide going in there.  
  
Link: Just stay on the path and mind your business and you'll be fine.  
  
Ralph: well I suppose you know your way through. Alright all go there.  
  
They made there way to the top of the hill and looked down to see the vast expanse that was the kokiriki woods. The sun was setting giving it an orange glow.  
  
Link: might as well set up camp there's no use going into the woods at night.  
  
They unpacked the supplies and settled in for the night. 


	3. Ceatures Of The Forest

Chapter 3  
  
Link awoke as the sun was rising. He looked down the hill and saw the forest, just as he left it. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and stood up. It was a rather cold morning. Link turned around and saw Ralph still sleeping. In the background Link could still see the castle in distance. They hadn't made much progress at all, which meant that they would skip breakfast and head out early. Link walked over to Ralph and had the pleasure of pinching his nose so that he couldn't breath. Ralph woke up quickly gasping for air and thrashing his arms and legs.  
  
Link: Come on we're going now.  
  
Ralph: But the sun is barely up! I just woke up and we haven't had breakfast.  
  
Link: Well we're going now because we wasted a lot of time yesterday.  
  
Ralph: I thought I was the leader here.  
  
Link: You are. I'm just rebelling against your rule.  
  
Link snatched Ralph's blanket right up from on top of him. Ralph curled into a ball as the cold air hit him like a bag of bricks. Link loaded the camp supplies onto the horses that where tied to a low hanging tree branch near by. Link then untied the horses and dragged Ralph's horse over to the shivering ball that was Ralph.  
  
Link: Come on get dressed! We got to get going.  
  
Ralph reluctantly put on some clothes and some light armor.  
  
Link: Okay now when where in the woods your job is to protect the horses.  
  
Ralph was too uncomfortable and tired to complain about him being the ruler of the operation.  
  
Link: Okay now lets go.  
  
Ralph and link dragged the horses down the hill until they came to the edge of the forest. Ralph Pulled out his sword quickly. Link put his shield and sword onto Epona.  
  
Ralph: Aren't you using a sword?  
  
Link: Nope.  
  
He walked up to a nearby tree and snapped of a clean, smooth, long branch. Ralph laughed. Ralph: Don't tell me you're going in there armed with a stick.  
  
Link: This isn't a stick this is a Deku stick.  
  
Ralph: Whatever.  
  
Epona walked by herself, as if she knew the route. Link walked ahead moving through the trees with extreme stealth and agility. Someone had made a couple of very crude little paths through the brush. But it still wasn't a true road. They walked for a while; in some areas the canopy was so thick it almost looked like nightfall. Then they came to a much clearer road made of grass that was about ten feet wide. They followed this path for a while when suddenly up ahead Link froze and listened.  
  
Ralph: What is it?  
  
But Link held up a hand to silence him. They stood there for a about a minute when link started walking backwards toward Ralph and the horses, His stick raised in the air. There was something in the bushes. Ralph could hear it now. Ralph looked around with his sword raised ready to confront anything that might attack him. Then, out of the bushes leaped several forest wolves.  
  
A forest wolf is not to be confused with the common wolf. They are related to the snow wolves. This species of wolf is actually somewhat of a wolf/man species but it is much more of a wolf then a man. The only thing they have in common to a man is that they have learned how to balance on two legs, however they are not very good at walking, so they usually are on all fours. They only stand on two legs to fight other creatures. By standing on two legs they can swipe and slash at things with there front claws. Their front arms have become very hard from blocking other wolves, when they fight amongst themselves. This means they can block with there arms when they are attacked. This has also led to there front legs being much more muscular in comparison to there back legs.  
  
The wolves slowly moved forward on four legs, showing their teeth. Link was surprised to be so boldly attacked by them because, although they where aggressive, it was not that common for them to attack people without having a reason to do so. The wolves approached Link with caution. When they got close they rose up on two feet and stumbled towards link. Link hit one across the face with the Deku stick and then stabbed another one in the stomach with it. A wolf slashed at link. Link rolled to the side to avoid the attack then hit the wolf in the legs, knocking them out from under it. Ralph stood and watched as Link combated the strangely bold creatures. He was brought back to reality by the sight of two wolves approaching him on four legs and advancing quickly upon him and the cargo. He stabbed one in the back, killing it. The other wolf was outraged by the death of his friend and leaped at Ralph. Epona ran in the way of the wolf and kicked it in the face with her rear legs. Ralph was stunned that a horse could be so smart as to protect another human from a vicious beast. Epona gave Ralph a look as if to say " I told you I was better then that other horse". Link hit one in the rib and poked it in the neck. Then he swung for ones face. The wolf caught the stick in its jaws and snapped it in half. More wolves had come to see what all the noise was about. Link picked up the two pieces off stick and threw them at two other wolves, hitting them in the face. The wolves began moving in on Link. Without having a weapon to fight them with, Link rolled up his sleeves and jumped on one of the wolves. Link bravely engaged the wolves in a wrestling match. He picked one up and dropped it on another. Then he kicked one in the face and punched another in the nose. He leaped onto the back of one and started to choke it. He stood up and was slashed across the chest. He let out a cry and slumped to the ground.  
  
Ralph: Link!  
  
The wolves advanced on Ralph. Ralph raised his sword prepared to slay as many as he could. Ralph knew he couldn't fight them all. This was it, he was done for. Then all of the sudden a spear came flying out of nowhere, striking a wolf in its side. Then rocks, nuts and spears came flying from all directions at the wolves. Ralph got down as a wide variety of things flew past his head, hitting the bewildered wolves. The wolves ran away and disappeared into the bush. Ralph cautiously stood up.  
  
Ralph: Whose there? Show yourself!  
  
Out of the bushes crept several Deku shrubs.  
  
The Deku are often described as living bushes. But this description is not quite true. Deku are very bizarre creatures that thrive in the woods. They are about the size of a bush but they are not bushes. Their skin is a brownish color, to help them camouflage among the trees. Their skin is also very thick and tough, which has often given them the description of being made of wood. They are not made of wood, but they are not far from it. They have large expression full eyes. One of there most bizarre attributes is their nose. Their nose is hollow and circular. The Deku can put Deku nuts in their tube like nose and fire them with extreme skill. Although this may not seem very hygienic it actually is quite effective. The Dekus are peaceful people but they can defend themselves quite well. They enjoy parties and music. They have a connection with trees and rush to there aid when there is a disturbance amongst them. They dress in clothes they make out of leaves and bark. There clothes are usually very decorative and colorful and when hiding they can dress in the same color as the leaves of the trees they are near, to further hide them.  
  
Ralph raised his hands above his head.  
  
Ralph: People of the forest, I come in peace.  
  
Deku: We know, the trees told us you mean good.  
  
Ralph slowly lowered his hands and rushed over to Link. Link began getting up as he approached.  
  
Ralph: Hey your not.. Link: Dead? Of course not, it's only a scratch.  
  
Ralph looked at Links chest. His clothes had a huge rip across the front and the wound was bleeding rather badly.  
  
Deku: Here rub this on it.  
  
The Deku handed Link a small vile full of red liquid. Link splash the red stuff on his chest and the bleeding stopped.  
  
Deku: Come, well take you're the kokori village, that's nearby.  
  
The group of Dekus led Link and Ralph through the forest.  
  
Link: Why did those wolves attack us?  
  
Deku: They have been acting like that recently. The trees and the animals have been disturbed lately by something, but we can't think of what it could be.  
  
They came to a rope bridge that marked the entrance into the kokori children's village. They crossed the rope bridge and found themselves in a small and peaceful village.  
  
Link: Ah, home sweet home.  
  
All around them children played and sang and did all sorts of peaceful things that children do. But these where not just children, these where the Kokori.  
  
Kokori where just as normal as you and me. The only difference being, that they never grew up. They never stopped being children. They where always children they never became adults. They where protected by the Deku and lived in gigantic hollowed out trees. They strictly wore green. This is the place Link had been raised in. For many years he had been raised under the impression that he was a Kokori child. But after he set off on his quest he found out that his mother's town had been under attack. His mother took him and fled to the forest, where she left him in the care of the great Deku tree. After she left him in the hands of the tree she fled, never to be seen again. He was 100% Hylian. The Kokori crowded around them trying to see why the Deku had come to the village.  
  
Deku: Children prepare a feast to welcome are visitors!  
  
The children let out a cheer and began running around, setting up a feast. Link talked to the Leader of the Dekus and walked back towards Ralph.  
  
Link: Ralph, stay here I have business to attend to.  
  
Link walked away from the group and walked through a small path that lead from the village. He walked only a very short distance before he came to a massive clearing. In the middle of this clearing was a fairly large tree. Behind the tree was the dead crumbled remains of what had once been the largest tree Link had ever seen. This new tree was the new Great tree of the forest. The tree was the ruler of the forest and he over saw everything that took place in it. The dead crumbling remains where what was left of the old great tree, it died after Ganon put a curse on it. The now dead tree was the tree that Link's mother had entrusted the protection of her son. When the tree died, a new tree replaced it and grew over time. It was now fairly large.  
  
Link: Hello, great Deku tree.  
  
Tree: I've been expecting you.  
  
Link: Yeah, I thought you might be the one to ask about where Jamie went.  
  
Tree: Whoever stole her has a much bigger scheme their plotting.  
  
Link: Like what?  
  
Tree: I don't know. But it is something evil.  
  
Link: But what would they want with Jamie.  
  
Tree: It's hard to tell I don't see much past the borders of these woods. But you'll need more people with you if you plan on stopping them.  
  
Link: Any other advice?  
  
Tree: Head to Zoras River.  
  
Link: Why?  
  
Tree: The Zoras are wise. They might know more about the matter then I.  
  
Link: Okay. Ill try that. Thanks for the help.  
  
Tree: Any time.  
  
Link ran back down the path to join the party. 


	4. Treom

Chapter four.  
  
Link came back into the village to find food being laid out on a gigantic table that had been moved into the center of the village. Ralph didn't exactly know how to act around the strange company.  
  
Kokori children: Link! Link!  
  
Link looked down and saw several young kokori tugging at his tunic.  
  
Kokori: tell us about the time you killed the dodongo king!  
  
Link sat down at one of the benches that where being set up and the children crowded around anxiously. Meanwhile Ralph stood in the middle of everything not quite sure what to do. He dodged various creatures, that where carrying chairs or fruit. He had rarely been in contact with the Deku before. He had always lived under the impression that the woods where an incredibly hostile and dangerous environment. He looked around to find link, figuring that it would be wise to stick with him. He found telling some story to a bunch of children.  
  
Link: and then, he shot fire at me. It almost hit me but I dodged and then he open his mouth and threw a bomb in his mouth.... KABOOM!  
  
Children: yeah!  
  
Ralph: so you've been to Death Mountain? I've had to climb to the top before.  
  
Ralph said it with a tone that suggested that this was an impressive thing to do.  
  
Link: I've been up there to and I also slayed the dragon Vologia inside the crater of the volcano.  
  
Ralph was silent for a moment.  
  
Ralph: well i'm sure it wasn't that hard considering you had the master sword of legend with you.  
  
Link: I didn't use a sword I used a Hammer.  
  
Ralph was silent for a while then he walked away, unable to make a comeback. There was setting up for most of the day, then at about 4:00 the Deku formed a stage and a group of Deku and kokori stood on it. The kokori had flutes with the exception of one who had a drum. The Deku had Deku pipes, a wooden instrument invented by the Deku, where the user blows through somewhat like a horn but with different exits for the sound to go through. Only Deku could play this properly because you had to put your whole mouth {or nose} around the front of the pipes. The band began playing festive, forest music. The people of the forest didn't have slow music; they felt that slow music was sad and that the point of music was to make you happy.  
  
Ralph leaned back on a bench. He didn't see a point to staying here they really should be moving on if Link had any helpful information. Staying was a waste of time. They could have covered a lot of ground today but instead Link had led them deep into the forest so they could have a party with kids and talking plants.  
  
Link walked towards the Deku chief.  
  
Link: chief  
  
Deku chief: yes?  
  
Link: look, Zelda's in trouble here daughters been stolen. That's why I came here to seek advice from great Deku tree. It told me to head for the zoras domain. Now I'm not going to get very far with my comrade over there.  
  
They looked over at Ralph  
  
Link: I need a guide, a soldier, a helper, someone that can help us on our quest.  
  
Chief: very well.  
  
The chief ran up onto the platform and held his hands above his head to make everyone fall silent.  
  
Chief: are guests are on a quest. They need our help on that quest. I need one of you to help him on that quest. We will now have a tournament. To see who is best suited for this task.  
  
The chief indicated towards a large log that had been placed on top of two stumps to make a long platform.  
  
Chief: we will have two combatants face each other on that log. Each will be handed a thick Deku branch. The combatants will engage in combat and try and throw their opponent from the log. The first person to touch the ground will lose and the winner will move on. Any able bodied Deku please come to the log where the tournament will begin.  
  
Ralph: Link, are you crazy!  
  
Link: what!  
  
Ralph: your bringing a Deku with us! He won't survive!  
  
Link: have you ever seen a Deku in combat?  
  
Ralph: well, no.  
  
Link: just because they prefer peace as opposed to war doesn't mean they can't fight. Now watch the first fight and then tell me what you think.  
  
Ralph and Link walked to the log where a large circle of Deku had formed around the arena.  
  
Chief: each combatant will receive a freshly cut Deku stick as a weapon.  
  
He tossed a stick to each of the Deku that had gotten on to the platform. They stood on either end of the log, each in a starting position that they preferred.  
  
Chief: let the tournament begin!  
  
The two combatants rushed at each other furiously slashing with their sticks They began clashing there sticks together as hard as they could, parrying each others blows. The Deku on the right swung a blow, which was parried by his Opponent but this time the Deku on the right put his foot up on his opponents weapon and used it to propel him self into the air. He came down on his opponent's head. They both fell onto the log. The one that had leaped into the Air seized the opportunity and pushed his opponent of the log. His opponent hit the ground with a thud. The winning Deku stood up and raised his hands above his head as the crowd cheered his victory.  
  
Link: now what do you think?  
  
Ralph: yeah they can sure fight each other. But what about whatever is that's taken Jamie? Can the winner take on the kidnapper?  
  
Link: I'm not expecting him to. As long as he can look after him self he is more then welcome.  
  
The tournament continued. One Deku caught Links eye immediately. He was huge. He could barely fit on the log. In this first round he defeated his opponent By simply walking up to him and pushing him off with one hand. It seemed no one would beat him and that he had victory in the bag. The tournament quickly boiled down to one last match. The gigantic Deku was one of the finalists. The other was an average looking Deku. He was actually rather small but he fought good enough to carry him this far. It seemed that the tournament was over and that the huge Deku would easily win. The round began. The Deku charged at each other but instead of swinging his stick the small Deku used it to pole-vault at his adversary. He struck the towering Deku right in the face with his feet. The Huge Deku was stunned. The small Deku ran under his legs and used his stick to hit his legs out from under his opponent. His opponent fell to his knees. The small Deku then began smacking his opponent repeatedly over the head with his stick. The wounded enemy slowly fell off the log. The crowd was shocked. The chief ran up onto the log and held the young Deku's hand above his head.  
  
Chief: our champion!  
  
The crowd gave a roar of excitement.  
  
Chief: tomorrow he will be heading out with our guest. But until then let the party begin!  
  
The crowd turned to see that the food had been laid out already. The band got back up on stage and the crowd rushed to eat. All the torches in the village were ignited as the party got underway. Rushed up to meet his new comrade.  
  
Link: Hi. I'm Link. Congratulations on winning. What's your name?  
  
Champion: Tremo.  
  
Link: nice to meet you. 


	5. The Zoras Domain

Link stepped out of the small house that had served as his shelter that night. He looked around and saw a few Deku cleaning up the party. Ralph stepped out behind Link and squinted at the faint light.  
  
Voice: good you're up.  
  
They both turned and saw a young Deku crouched on a stump near by.  
  
Deku: the chief will want to see you I assume. He's on the other side of the village.  
  
Link and Ralph made there way to the other side of the large clearing. They found the Chief waiting outside a large house.  
  
Chief: oh, good you're just in time. Young Treom is inside getting prepared.  
  
Link: Is he okay? He went to bed very early last night. He seemed nervous.  
  
Chief: I imagine so. It is quite a quest for a Deku to undertake.  
  
Treom stepped out of the house. He was quite a sight. It was obvious he had been equipped honorably. He wore armor made of thick wood that wrapped around his chest and abdomen. The armor had unique artwork and symbols carved into it. Under the armor was a light green shirt. At his side he held a long and sturdy Deku stick. Over his shoulder and across his back was a leather quiver that held more sticks as opposed to arrows. Around his waist was a belt with which several things hung. At his side hung a blowpipe and on the other side were several small bags. One contained small rocks, two of them held nuts and two of them had seeds. These were to be used as projectiles.  
  
Chief: marvelous! You truly are a great warrior, Treom.  
  
Treom: thank you sir.  
  
Chief: now take this time to put your affairs in order, while our guest prepare for there departure.  
  
Treom: yes, sir.  
  
Treom ran off and disappeared behind a house.  
  
Chief: yes he is a fine choice for a companion.  
  
Link: yes. He seems quite capable.  
  
Chief: oh, here are your horses.  
  
A Deku walked towards them with Ralph's horse and Epona being dragged by a leash.  
  
Ralph: thank you for everything.  
  
Chief: if you follow that path over there...  
  
He pointed to a small path that led from the village.  
  
Chief: it will take you to a small river. Follow that river up stream for a couple of miles and you will reach an entrance that will take you to the home of the Zoras. Hopefully they will be able to shed some light on this mystery.  
  
Link: thank you.  
  
Chief: your welcome and good luck finding the young princess.  
  
Treom came running towards them.  
  
Link: you ready to go?  
  
Treom: yes.  
  
Chief: Good-bye Treom. We will be anticipating your return.  
  
Treom: good-bye sir.  
  
The group turned and walked toward the paths that lead from the village.  
  
The group walked for silence for a while, following the thin, winding river through the dark woods.  
  
Treom: so, um, where are we going? This may seem foolish but I really don't know the details about what we are doing.  
  
Ralph and Link explained to Treom about Jamie and the advice the great Deku tree had given Link.  
  
Treom: we're going to Zoras Domain!  
  
Link: yeah, why?  
  
Treom: its just I've never been outside the borders of this forest.  
  
Link: Ha! Well then the Zoras may be a bit of a shock to you.  
  
The group came to the entrance that the chief had told them. It was a huge crack down the side of a naturally made rock wall.  
  
Link: leave the horses here. We'll come back for them.  
  
Ralph: I didn't know about this passage into the domain. Our intelligence office might have use of this. Treom: where did this rock come from? It just appeared out of nowhere.  
  
Link: come on.  
  
Ralph: aren't you going to tie up the horses?  
  
Link: Epona can take care of herself.  
  
Link flashed Ralph a look to show that he wasn't joking and climbed through the hole. On the other side of the crack was a long tunnel that was dimly lit with torches lined along the wall.  
  
Link: this way.  
  
He indicated to the others to follow him. The tunnel turned off to the right. At the end of this tunnel a faint blue light could be seen.  
  
Treom: what's that light down there?  
  
Link: its water.  
  
As they got close they could see that there was a waterfall falling in front of the tunnel entrance. They stepped through the waterfall and Treom let out a gasp of amazement. They had just stepped into a incredibly massive cave. They themselves were standing on one of the thousands of rock ledges that lined the cave wall. Down below them was a huge lake of water. The cavern rose up so high that the group could not see the top. From somewhere in the cave soft organ music was being played. Over the water were several arches carved out of rock that served as bridges. All over the sides of the cave there were small ponds, rivers and waterfalls. The walls were lined with hundreds of thousands of torches that kept the cave well lit. Treom was the only one that thought it was amazing. Ralph and link had both been here so many times that the effect of wonder had worn off.  
  
Voice: Freeze!  
  
They turned and saw a Zora guard. If you called a Deku a tree, you would be giving a false description. But if you called a Zora part man part fish, your description would be 100% accurate. That's exactly what they are, a cross breed of man and fish. There feet are the same as a human except that their toes are webbed. Their arms are human except that each arm has a long fin sticking from it. They stand as a human would. They have lungs on there necks but also have a lung in their bodies. This allows them to breath on land and in water. There head is shaped like a human except the back of there head turns into a long fin. They are entirely blue. Like humans there skin color can vary in the shade of there skin but it is always blue {there are actually rare reports of zoras being a dark purple but these reports have not been proven}. They are known for there amazing swimming abilities. They can see better in water then on land. They can swim at incredible speeds. They are a militaristic culture and practiced martial arts everyday. They knew martial arts well and were formidable in melee combat. The guard before them wore metal armor and was brandishing a large pike. At his sides he had two very large switchblades.  
  
Guard: identify yourselves!  
  
Link: peace! Its link!  
  
Guard: so it is.  
  
He put down his pike.  
  
Guard: what business do you have here?  
  
Link: we want to speak to your king.  
  
Guard: of course.  
  
Treom stood behind Link carefully observing this strange new creature. They began moving up the huge cavern.  
  
Link: what was that about?  
  
Ralph: I don't know. There's something strange going on here.  
  
They pass several guards that were pacing back and forth and carefully staring at them as they passed.  
  
Ralph: what's with the tight security?  
  
Link: this is weird. Why do they have all these guards posted everywhere?  
  
The group walked up along the narrow walkways. There were guards posted virtually everywhere and there were few citizens. They climbed high and higher and the higher up in the domain they got the more guards seemed to be posted. A few times they came along large groups of fighters being trained for combat.  
  
Link: I don't like this.  
  
They eventually made to the top of the cavern. They found themselves standing in front of a huge stone door that was opened slightly. Treom looked down and a lump formed in his throat. A fall from this height would kill any man before they reached the water below. Treom pushed the thought of falling out of his mind and followed Ralph and Link through the door. They were now in a large room. In the middle of the room, the king Zora sat on a large throne decorated with emeralds. There were more guards here then anywhere else in the whole place.  
  
Link: what is going on here!  
  
Ralph: why are your people preparing for war? You know the sacred vows of alliance your people have with mine! If you need some sort of help we will gladly help you. Or is this some sort of attempt to betray the ancient alliance?  
  
Link: where are all your citizens?  
  
King: ah, Link. You truly are a skilled warrior. It is unfortunate you cannot aid Hyrule in the storm that is to come upon it.  
  
Link: what does that mean?  
  
King: I'm sorry link, Ralph. But I'm afraid I can't let you leave. 


	6. The Escape

Link and Ralph drew their swords as the guards slowly surrounded them.  
  
Ralph: Traitors! Hyrule will not let this go unpunished!  
  
The king let out a hideous laugh.  
  
King: Hyrule will not be around to punish us!  
  
Link: explain your self before I kill you where you stand traitor!  
  
King: we cannot let you wander back and tell Hyrule this information! If he finds out that we are in anyway helping you! I hate to think about it. Besides link, now that you're here you can fight for us.  
  
Link: I refuse to fight under a traitor's banner!  
  
King: fight for us or die!  
  
Ralph: who is the one that you speak?  
  
King: the man that will destroy Hyrule!  
  
Ralph: Ganondorf has been banished into the Shadow Realm for all eternity!  
  
King: not Ganondorf you idiot! If he succeeds he will be more powerful then Ganondorf.... and his agents are closer then you think.  
  
At this the King shot Ralph a short and nasty look.  
  
Ralph: you lie!  
  
Ralph flung himself at the king.  
  
Link: Ralph! No!  
  
One of the guards leaped into the air and punched Ralph in the stomach. Ralph fell to the floor hard and the guards jumped on him.  
  
Voice: let him go!  
  
A Zora leaped out of the crowd and tackled one of the guards. Together he and Ralph defeated five guards.  
  
King: stop them!  
  
The guards began moving in slowly.  
  
Link: Ralph, remember back in town, you asked what the third stone did?  
  
Ralph: yeah why. Link: you're about to find out.  
  
Link reached into his pocket and pulled out din's fire.  
  
Link: stay close to me.  
  
He clutched the stone. A huge ball of fire suddenly appeared and made a dome over Link and the others. Then with a massive BOOM and a flash of bright light it disappeared. Next thing they knew all the guards were flat on the ground.  
  
Ralph: wow.  
  
Treom: nice.  
  
Zora: come on!  
  
The four of them ran out of the chamber and came back out in the huge cavern.  
  
Link: who are you?  
  
Zora: ill tell you later. Right now we have to escape.  
  
The group looked and saw hundreds of Zoras coming after them and could still hear the king screaming, "Stop them!"  
  
Zora: follow me.  
  
Without any hesitation the mysterious Zora ran and leaped off the ledge. He was quickly followed by link, which had a moment of hesitation but figured he could put his faith in the Zoras decision.  
  
Treom: um, Deku can't swim.  
  
Ralph: good cause I don't want to jump.  
  
The two looked at each other then at the huge number of Zora that were closing in from every direction.  
  
Ralph: this way!  
  
They ducked behind a rock and squeezed through a small side passage.  
  
Guard: they jumped! I saw them. Spread out! Look everywhere!  
  
Link hurtled towards the water in an extreme free fall. If he even nicked the sides he could get seriously wounded. He kept his eyes on the Zora that was falling with out any worries, as he had done this many times probably. Link crossed his arms across his chest and stuck his feet straight down to brace for impact. He hit the water hard and went several feet. As soon as he was under the water he realized the fatal mistake he had made. He could barely see anything through the water but zoras could see for miles. Any zoras could see him now and he could not see anything. He swam back to the surface and took in a huge gulp of air. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him and caught his breath. Then suddenly something wrapped around his leg and thrust him under the water. Whatever it was had him tight and was moving fast. He could feel water rushing past him at incredible speeds as he rocketed down through the water he could see fish and zoras pass them. Once he swore he saw something much larger then any fish moving through the darkness. It was now pitch black and they were very deep. Link realized he was running out of breath. At first Link thought he should attempt to break lose and swim to the top. But then he realized he was much to far below the surface to come close to making it to the top. His faith rested in the thing dragging him. Just when he thought he couldn't hold it any more he was dragged into an underwater passage. This passage turned upwards. When they got to the top they broke the surface and link engulfed a huge amount of air and struggled and splashed in the water. When he had calmed down he realized he was a small room. Next to him was the strange Zora.  
  
Link: where's Treom and Ralph!  
  
Zora: they didn't jump. I looked for them but couldn't find them. So I figured I'd get you to safety. They're on their own.  
  
Ralph and Treom ran through a passage.  
  
Treom: were dead! We can't keep running!  
  
Ralph: ugh.  
  
Treom: what.  
  
Ralph: I just realized. I don't think Link is going to get away.  
  
Treom: why!  
  
Ralph: he jumped into water! The Zoras will be all over him by now. We have to get are selves out.  
  
Treom: we can't leave him!  
  
Ralph: hey, Link made a mistake coming with me! I can rescue my own daughter! If he's in trouble he should get himself out!  
  
Treom: why you!  
  
The two of them stopped. They both heard people chasing them.  
  
Ralph: come on! Treom: through here!  
  
They were at a small hole in the wall. Ralph: squeezed through to find that the hole was actually a small slide. Treom jumped in next and followed him. Ralph: flew out of the slide and landed in a small pool. Treom came flying out after him and landed on top of Ralph. The got out of the pool and ran out of the room. They were now in another gigantic chamber that was similar to the first one.  
  
Treom: ugh. This is like a huge maze! We cannot out run them.  
  
Just then about 20 guards came up behind them.  
  
Guard: We found them! Over here help!  
  
The guards ran at Ralph and Treom as Guards came from all directions. Ralph swung a punch at the first guard and threw him off the cliff. Another guard charged Ralph with a war cry and the two of them fell from the cliff and slammed into the ledge below. Treom quickly stuffed his nose full of nuts and fired full blast, taking out a several of them. Then he turned around and leaped off the ledge, landing on top of the guard Ralph was fighting. The guards jumped after them. One of the guards punched Treom and sent him flying off the ledge. Treom landed in the water. Since Deku can't swim at all, being in Zoras domain was not a very safe place for Treom to be. He began flailing and screaming in the water. He chocked as the water filled his nose and mouth. This was the end of him he thought. Suddenly the strange Zora that had helped them before grabbed him around the waist and pulled him to the nearest rock.  
  
Zora: where's Ralph!  
  
Treom: he's up there!  
  
He indicated up to the ledge.  
  
Treom: the guards found him. He's battling them as we speak!  
  
Zora: get on my back!  
  
Treom obediently jumped onto the Zoras back. The Zora swam over to the cliff. And began crawling up the side of it at a swift speed. When they got to the top. They saw that Ralph had finally been captured but not without bringing down many guards. Treom and the Zora sprang into battle and caught the guards by complete surprise. It turned out that the Zora was very skilled in melee combat. He threw punches like at lighting quick speeds. Soon all the guards were dead, knocked out or seriously wounded.  
  
Ralph: thanks.  
  
Suddenly Link jumped down from the higher up ledge.  
  
Link: I took care of their friends but more are right on us. Let's get out while we have the chance.  
  
Zora: were near an exit that I know of.  
  
Link: can you take us there?  
  
Zora: yeah, follow me.  
  
The Zora led them through several walkways and passages, careful to avoid any of the Zoras. They soon came to a small room.  
  
Zora: here.  
  
He moved aside a large rock to reveal a hole just big enough to squeeze through. Link crawled through to find himself somewhere in the forest. It was nightfall already. The other three followed him.  
  
Guard: their here somewhere! Find them!  
  
They could see torches in the distance and hear people searching the woods.  
  
Ralph: run!  
  
Without another thought the ran quickly, fleeing into the night. 


	7. Maku

Link opened his eyes and saw a canopy of trees. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He looked over and saw that strange Zora crouching low in the bushes keeping a lookout. On the other side of him Treom was doing the same thing. Link was flat on his back, lying next to Ralph. He slowly got up and brushed all the leaves dirt and bugs off him.  
  
Link: do you see anything?  
  
Zora: no. But I know there out there.  
  
The group had been running all night. Through the woods trying to escape the treacherous Zora king. After a long time they finally collapsed from exhaustion. They had spent the night on the forest floor. Ralph: woke up and came up behind them.  
  
Ralph: well now what. If we get out of this, we'll have to go back to the castle.  
  
Link: why?  
  
Ralph: well they are bound to have found the horses by now and those horses were carrying all are supplies!  
  
Link: they didn't find the horses.  
  
Ralph: oh yeah? What makes you so sure?  
  
Link pulled out his ocarina and poured all the water that was in it out. Then he put the instrument to his lips.  
  
Ralph: are you crazy! They'll find us!  
  
Link: trust me on this.  
  
Link put the ocarina to his lips and played out a tune. Suddenly from out of the woods they heard the sound of galloping coming towards them. In less then five minutes Epona and Ralph's Horse came trotting out of the forest. When the horses got there Epona reared Back and kicked her feet in the air. Ralph's horse Gave a low grunt and stomped into the ground. The two horses started to kick and neigh as if they were having a fight.  
  
Ralph: be quite! They'll hear us! Link, how'd you do that?  
  
Link: Epona is trained to come to me when she hears me play a certain song with my ocarina. Here take this.  
  
He tossed Ralph a bow and a quiver. Then he took his own bow and loaded it.  
  
Link: now that we are properly equipped we can safely get out of here. But before we do, you never told us your name or who you are.  
  
Zora: my names Maku. I'm the Kings nephew.  
  
Link: do you know anything about what the king was talking about?  
  
Maku: I'm afraid not.  
  
Ralph: why'd you help us back there?  
  
Maku: I was only a boy during the reign of Ganondorf but I remember that day clearly.  
  
Maku got a reminiscent look in his eyes and looked off into the trees.  
  
Maku: the day Ganondorf came to Zoras Domain. He used his Magic to freeze all the water in the Domain. The Zoras formed a huge army and went to war against Ganondorf. My grandfather led the charge. My Grandfather fought Ganondorf Face to Face. He fought bravely and skillfully but in the end Ganondorf Murdered him with his bare hands. I watched it happen. But then you came. And you did what my Grand father could not and you put an end to his reign. After Ganondorf was no more all the ice melted and the Zoras Domain came back to normal. I helped you to repay you for avenging my grandfather.  
  
Everyone stood in silence for a moment.  
  
Ralph: well thanks for the help.  
  
The group turned and started walking into the woods. Ralph turned around.  
  
Ralph: why are you following us?  
  
Maku: well, I can't go back there.  
  
Link: so, does this mean your coming with us?  
  
Maku: guess so.  
  
Link: well. Welcome to the team. You need a weapon?  
  
Maku: got some.  
  
Maku reached into his belt and pulled out two boomerangs (a the most common weapon in a Zoras arsenal) and two switchblades.  
  
Link: Treom, get one of your spears out. We may have to shoot down some enemy's before they hit us.  
  
Ralph: look out!  
  
Everyone ducked as about three boomerangs came flying from all directions.  
  
Guard: we have them now! I knew that ocarina was coming from them! Get those horses!  
  
All hell erupted as the group jumped up fired in all directions. They dodged flying spears and a folly of other weapons. Link kneeled down behind a log and fired a shot off, hitting a Zora in the arm. The horses were in trouble. Epona kicked and bucked at the Zoras, preventing them from grabbing her.  
  
Link: Treom! Protect the horses!  
  
Treom obediently leaped at the attackers and began beating them with sticks.  
  
Guard: pull back! Get reinforcements in here! We need more man before we can get them! Pull back!  
  
The guards retreated in the cover of the thick trees and fired some shots. One of them took out a large horn and blew hard, creating a sound that could be heard for miles.  
  
Maku: that's a Zora signal! It means, "come here, we need assistance". There could be hundreds of soldiers here in minutes.  
  
Link: Run!  
  
The group ran.  
  
Ralph: what about the horses!  
  
Link: Epona knows what to do!  
  
Ralph: you put way to much faith in that stupid horse!  
  
The group ran through the trees. The soldiers were close on their trail and they knew that a lot more would soon be as well. They had been moving most of the night so they couldn't be that far from the edge of the forest. They finally came to a trail.  
  
Link: good were almost out of this mess. This way, hurry!  
  
They ran down the small trail. Soon they came to the spot where they had entered. The horses had beaten them there.  
  
Link: Epona go ahead of us but stay in sight.  
  
Epona obediently ran up ahead.  
  
Link: okay lets take them on.  
  
As the soldiers came out of the forest two boomerangs, four arrows, a spear and a spread shot of nuts met them. This killed the front line pretty fast. Link: keep moving!  
  
Soldier: don't let them escape! We're so close and if we don't catch them the king will kill us.  
  
Soldier: no, probably torture.  
  
The gang made it to the top of the hill where they had spent the night three days ago.  
  
Ralph: there still chasing us!  
  
Link: it's okay. We're almost in sight of the castle. If they keep chasseing us then the whole kingdom will be witness to their treachery and will lead an attack against them. And by the sound of it, that's the last thing they need  
  
Treom: good plan.  
  
Maku: your right, they can't afford to have that happen.  
  
Soldier: their right there! Now we have them!  
  
General: stop! Retreat. Cease the assault!  
  
Soldier: what!  
  
General: we are trying to stop them from telling this to Hyrule! But if we keep chasing them Hyrule is going to see us and find out anyway. They bested us. Mission failed. Now I said pull back!  
  
The soldiers regrettably began marching towards the woods. The general gave Maku a nasty look and followed them.  
  
Ralph: well that went well. Want to go back and get some more advice from a tree!  
  
Link: shut up!  
  
Ralph: this is why I should be in charge!  
  
Link: oh yeah!  
  
Ralph: yeah!  
  
Link: I'll show you!  
  
Ralph: bring it on sissy!  
  
Link swung a punch at Ralph. Ralph barely ducked and tackled Link. The two of them went rolling down the hill, fighting and struggling the whole way. Ralph threw Link onto his Back and pinned him to the ground. Suddenly Treom came running out of nowhere and tackled Ralph from the side.  
  
Maku: stop! Fighting won't help us do.... Hey you never told me what you guys were doing anyway.  
  
They stopped fighting to explain the situation.  
  
Maku: hmm. I wish I had an idea.  
  
Ralph: anymore bright ideas this time, genius! How about we go talk to some magical talking rock this time!  
  
Link: shut up, Ralph! Besides, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where we go next.  
  
They all looked at him. We go to the only place we have left to go. Death Mountain. They all looked at the towering mountain that was behind them and then back at Link.  
  
Maku: makes as much sense as anything else.  
  
Link: it is going to be a long hike up that mountain If we want to reach the Gorons. So we better get moving.  
  
And with a Glance at Ralph he grabbed Epona and started walking towards Death Mountain. 


	8. Gorons and beer

Ralph: I just can't believe they would betray the ancient alliance.  
  
Ralph stopped.  
  
Ralph: I just thought. How will Hyrule get its water!  
  
Link: they'll keep supplying water. They don't want Hyrule to find out about this, remember?  
  
Treom: but they said they didn't want someone to find out they were helping them. So maybe Ralph's right.  
  
Link: let's keep walking. Were almost to Kakariko.  
  
They had been walking most of day. Their goal was to reach the village at the base of the mountain by nightfall. The group was walking through small cliffs and rock formations. They were less then a mile away and the mountain seemed huge. Death Mountain was technically a extremely active volcano and was dangerous to climb. However the citizens could climb it because the Gorons kept the mountain safe. The Gorons were friendly with the village people and saw them often. They would occasionally come down into the village as well.  
  
Link: when we get there we need to find a stable to hold our horses and find some place to stay the night, and then we will climb to Goron city tomorrow.  
  
Soon they came to Kakariko village. Next to the Castle, Kakariko Village was one of the larger cities in Hyrule. People usually chose to live there Because of its scenic Value, peacefulness and the Safety that the Rocks and Gorons provided. It had been one of the last places to get hit by Ganondorf. They walked through the small village trying to find a place to keep their horses. They soon found a small stable that was tucked behind a weapons store and a house.  
  
Link: how much to keep two horses here?  
  
Stable owner: I let you keep your horses here for 20 Rupees.  
  
Link gave the man a handful of coins and tied down the horses. They walked out of stable and looked around.  
  
Maku: where to?  
  
Ralph: well while we're here how about a drink.  
  
He indicated towards a bar across the street.  
  
Link: I could go for that.  
  
They crossed the street and entered the bar. The inside of the building was dank and musty. About four lamps dimly lighted it. There were a lot of Large Looking men that didn't look happy.  
  
Treom: wow, no lack of murderers here.  
  
Link: this is shady place but we might just find someone that knows where we can stay tonight. Keep your guard up.  
  
Ralph: I don't think you needed to tell us that.  
  
Ralph looked around at the various people.  
  
Maku: ah, don't worry we could take all of them at once.  
  
They sat down at the bar.  
  
Bar tender: bears all around?  
  
Treom: ill just have water, thanks.  
  
Bar tender: ha, water, we don't serve water we serve beer. Now do you want my beer?  
  
Treom: um, do you have like, juice or something?  
  
The bar tender reached across the table and picked up Treom by his shirt.  
  
Bar tender: you got something against my beer?  
  
Link stood up.  
  
Link: put him down.  
  
Thug: hey! Shut up fool!  
  
Link turned around and saw several thugs surrounding him. Ralph and Maku stood up to.  
  
Link: I'd sit back down if I were you. Just sit down; I'll buy you a drink.  
  
Thug: how bout I don't sit down and beat you so bad you'll never wish you came into this Bar!  
  
Link reached into his pocket and Gripped Nayru's Love. The thug Punched Link in the Face. Link didn't even flinch. The thug basically felt the same way you'd feel if you punched a rock as hard as you could. Link threw his own punch. The thug grabbed his hand and bent it backwards forcing Link into the Ground. Treom used this distraction to reach into his bag and pull out a handful of nuts, which he sprayed in the bar tenders face. The bar tender screamed and clutched his face in pain, releasing his hold on Treom. The thugs lunged at all four of them and an all out bar fight ensued. In the middle of the small battle the door blew open and everyone stopped. A Goron had stepped into the bar. Gorons are like large, muscular, fat, rocks. Well, at least that's what they look like. This may be because that's what they eat, rocks. They have no teeth. They don't need any. They are perfectly content eating rocks. They break the rock down then eat the piece whole. This is bizarre to say the least. They are brown and have extremely thick hides, although slaying a Goron is not as hard as piercing rhino skin. Their backs are particularly are very hard and almost impenetrable. One trait that the Goron's feature is that they can tuck in their arms and legs and form a perfect ball, they then use their muscles to roll along. They can reach vary fast speeds doing this. They have large muscles and are usually fat. They have large pudgy faces and large mouths. They live in mountains and rocky areas, since they can reach their food source. They can fight but there have not been many battles that Gorons fought in. in battle they will use axes, swords and there fist as weapons.  
  
Goron: there isn't any trouble here is there?  
  
This was a dumb question because people were either choking other people or about to throw a punch.  
  
Goron: break it up break it up.  
  
The thugs slowly left Link and the others alone and walked off.  
  
Link: just what we wanted to see.  
  
Goron: hmm?  
  
Ralph: we are headed to Death Mountain.  
  
And he again retold the dilemma they were having trying to find his daughters kidnapper. Link clutched his stomach and head from the fight.  
  
Goron: well you're lucky to have run into us. A small and group of Gorons and I came to the village on business. We'll be heading back tomorrow. You may need our protection.  
  
Link: why?  
  
Goron: well that's one reason we came down here. We had a problem the other day. A group of Guerudo thieves came. Said they were looking for a guy named Savroth. They said he was a man that was not to be trusted and was very powerful.  
  
Link: did a man come through this way?  
  
Goron: unfortunately, yes. We never saw his face or anything about him. He wore a long Black robe and had a horse and wagon. He seemed suspicious so we asked to check his cargo. He refused. When the Gorons tried to take him by force he....  
  
Link: what?  
  
Goron: this is hard to believe. I don't believe it. But he somehow Killed Five Gorons with out moving a muscle! When he had killed them he simply moved on a quietly left the Village.  
  
Link: where'd he go?  
  
Goron: he was heading east.  
  
Ralph: that must have been him. Only someone with that kind of power could have broken into the castle.  
  
Link had trouble containing his laughter at that sentence, because he had broken inside the castle more times then Ralph could imagine.  
  
Maku: then let's follow him. If we leave right away we could still have a lead on him.  
  
Treom: yeah!  
  
Goron: if you plan on following him I'd be careful. You're not the only ones chasseing him.  
  
Treom: what do you mean?  
  
Goron: there are a large group of Guerudo pirates after him as well. But they wouldn't tell me why. If you want to follow him I should come with you.  
  
Link: ah, the more the merrier.  
  
Maku: I say we don't rest. We should leave now, As soon as possible!  
  
Ralph: agreed.  
  
Link: okay let's do it. We'll camp out on the southern ridge.  
  
Ralph: we someone should tell the princess however.  
  
Link: hey you!  
  
Link walked over to one of the thugs in the bar.  
  
Link: I got a little chore for you. You know where the castle is. I need you to deliver a message there for me.  
  
Thug: why should I help you? Link: because if you don't you'll have to talk to my friend over there.  
  
He indicated to the Goron.  
  
Link: the Palace that Link and Ralph are on the kidnappers trail and that we are in pursuit. Tell them Link sent you. And make sure the message reaches Zelda. You got that!  
  
Thug: yes, sir.  
  
Link: good Let's go, um....  
  
Goron: Drom, I'm Link's godfather.  
  
Link: no kidding?  
  
Ralph Treom and Maku: What?!  
  
Link: long story. Let's move.  
  
And they ran out of the Bar. 


	9. Danger In The Dark

Ralph: well, Link, so far you being leader has found ourselves talking to a tree, being betrayed by our allies and now we are chasing pirates that are chasing a mad man. Nice job.  
  
Link: do you ever shut up?  
  
Ralph: you know your decisions are leading us from bad to worse.  
  
Link: well at least we have a lead.  
  
Drom: Savroth has more then a weeks lead. It'll be hard to reach him.  
  
Ralph: we are in no hurry, as long as we're on his trail.  
  
Maku and Treom gave Ralph a suspicious look.  
  
Drom: we are leaving Hyrule borders. We are in unsafe country now. These are the lands that nomadic tribes roam. We must be careful.  
  
It was noon. They had been walking except to rest for a couple hours the night before.  
  
Treom: do we really stand a chance against this stranger when we find him? I mean 5 Gorons dead, just like that?  
  
Maku: it is a frightening thought.  
  
Drom put his hand on his sword.  
  
Drom: together we can fight him.  
  
Drom carried an enormous sword that would have taken link two hands to swing, and 6 different sized axes. He was very well armed.  
  
Maku: I'm worried about what happens when we catch up to the pirates.  
  
Link: shush! Get down!  
  
They got down.  
  
Link: Treom hide the horses in the woods!  
  
The group kneeled down behind some bushes and peered down into the valley below them. The pirate's camp was below. A large army of armed Guerudos was below them. Guerudos were like humans. Except a boy is only born approximately 100 years. This boy is their king. All the other Guerudos are women. Ganondorf had been the greatest Guerudo that had ever lived. They were dessert people and they had a large fortress on the west border of Hyrule.  
  
Guerudo: Savroth's magic is near. He somehow knows were coming! You could see the women's fear in their eyes. All of them had their scimitars drawn.  
  
Guerudo: someone must have seen us! Run for it!  
  
The Guerudos scattered in all directions, screaming for their lives. The ground slowly began rumbling like a small earthquake. Suddenly a small crack appeared in the ground and out of that Crack and purple Cloud raised up. The fog grabbed the nearest pirate and sucked her into the ground. Then it grabbed another one and tossed her into the air before dragging her through the crack.  
  
Guerudo: Dark magic! He's found us!  
  
That was her last words as she to was dragged under the dirt.  
  
Ralph: good lord!  
  
Link: that's not good. We got to get out of here!  
  
Treom: what about that!  
  
He pointed towards the crack in the ground that was pulling the people in.  
  
Link: I don't think there is a lot we can do.  
  
The group gathered their stuff and got as far away from the valley as possible.  
  
Maku: was that he? Was that the guy we're trying to find?  
  
Drom: it wouldn't surprise me.  
  
Link: I've rarely seen Guerudo pirates that terrified.  
  
Ralph: it looks like most of them got out in time.  
  
Treom: yes.  
  
Maku: we should keep moving.  
  
The group did keep moving. They were still in the foothills. They stayed on the edge of the forest and kept moving through the rocks. Besides the amazing display of power that had happened at the Guerudo camp nothing special happened. After awhile, through the woods they heard a blood- curdling scream that made their Hairs stand up on their necks.  
  
Ralph: what the hell was that!  
  
Maku: I truly don't want to find out.  
  
Treom: ugh.  
  
Drom: whatever it was it sounded like one of those pirates.  
  
Link: I'm going to check it out.  
  
Link drew his sword and headed into the forest. The group looked at each other  
  
Drom: well come on.  
  
He drew his own sword and followed. The horses Maku and Treom went in next.  
  
Ralph: their crazy if they think I'm going in there. It's getting to dark to venture into the forest.  
  
Suddenly behind him an owl hooted. Ralph screamed and pulled out his sword.  
  
Ralph: then again there is safety in numbers.  
  
And he followed. They slowly ventured through the growing darkness of the forest. Suddenly Link saw something that scared him. Through the darkness they could see a pair of yellow eyes moving swiftly through the darkness. Drom hurled one of his axes and Treom through a spear. The two weapons bounced off something and let out a spark as if they struck metal. Then the two of them were thrown into the air and hurled backwards. They flew through the air and hit a large tree. They slumped to the ground. The eyes turned around and disappeared into the woods.  
  
Link: you guys okay?  
  
The two of them stood up clutching their heads.  
  
Treom: yeah.  
  
Suddenly they saw another pair of yellow eyes. Actually this time it wasn't eyes. It was the dieing ambers of a campfire. The group followed the light into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a small dieing out fire. Hanging over the fire were two dead Guerudos that were hanging above the fire in bags. They had been horribly beaten and mutated and there bodies had apparently been used in some dark ritual. Both Ralph and Maku turned around and threw up in the bushes upon witnessing the sight.  
  
Drom: my god.  
  
Treom: ugh.  
  
Link: it isn't safe to continue tonight. Whatever it is out there is watching us.  
  
The group looked around the clearing through the darkness. They had an extreme feeling of being watched.  
  
Link: we'll sleep here. We'll have to take turns standing guard.  
  
In darkness they heard the cry of a wolf that only disturbed them more.  
  
Link: we are in danger.  
  
In the darkness, for a split second, he could have sworn he saw a pair of yellow eyes. 


	10. Dreamweaver

Ralph: wake up!  
  
Link: yellow...yellow eyes...eyes.... no!  
  
Link sprang up from his sleep, screaming. He was in a cold sweat. He looked around frantically. They were not in the clearing they had been in last night, the night when he had seen him.  
  
Link: where.... where... are we.  
  
Drom: you collapsed. You started hallucinating when we came to that pirate camp. Remember?  
  
Maku: I thought they would've heard us for sure.  
  
Link now recognized the valley where the Guerudos had been.  
  
Link: a.... dream? But...but.  
  
Treom: we should just stay here tonight. Link needs to rest.  
  
Maku: I wonder what that was all about.  
  
Link: the...Guerudos! And a hole...big hole! Eyes! Yellow eyes!  
  
Ralph: oh snap out of it.  
  
Link fell back down on the grass and took long hard breaths. He felt as if he had been running for hours.  
  
They made camp early, in a small clearing in the woods. Link sat staring at the fire, his legs curled into his chest. They were staring at him but he didn't really care. He had had dreams like that before and they ALWAYS meant something. They always had some sort of symbolic meaning. It was a bit of a curse, and yet it had been incredibly helpful at the same time. The night grew on without much discussion. They slowly went to bed one by one which left Maku to guard duty. Maku didn't feel like guarding but he accepted. He highly doubted they were in any danger anyway. He paced back in forth, his hand on one of his switchblades. The trees were twisted and gave a menacing look. He looked over a t link through the red glow of the small fire. Link wasn't thrashing violently, like he was earlier, but he was squinting his eyes as if he was uncomfortable. Suddenly Maku heard something in the woods. He gripped his blades and walked slowly towards the trees. But as he walked towards the spot he slowly began to feel more and more tired. With every small step he took he was drained of more and more energy until finally he collapsed on the spot and went to sleep immediately.  
  
He woke up on a hard rock floor. He stood up and looked around him. There were the sounds of blades clashing together and people screaming. He realized he was in the Zoras domain. He looked up at the towering rock cliffs and could make out Zoras fighting things that he couldn't make out. What caught his attention was that instead of water everywhere he looked there was ice. The ice wasn't dripping water like normal ice. He had had seen this ice before.  
  
Maku: it can't be!  
  
To his horror he looked down to see that the huge lake of water was now a huge block of ice. On top of the ice, in the center stood to figures. One was a Zora that was clad in a general's armor. The other was a man. He was dressed in an elaborate dark outfit. His outfit was decorated with several jewels but besides that it was black. He had a long maroon cape with the Guerudo symbol on it. He donned silver gauntlets to cover his hands. He had fiery red hair. His eyes were like small slits in his head and were a dark yellow. His face was not that of a normal human but instead was faint, dark green color. His nose curled to give him a very sinister look. He was brandishing the one the largest swords Maku had ever seen. It was a double- sided blade with sharp point on the end. The man's muscles swelled as he swung it above his head. it was none other then Ganondorf himself, The great king of evil. The Zora that stood before him was panting heavily and had no weapons. Ganondorf swung the massive sword at him. The Zora performed a back flip to dodge the blade.  
  
Ganondorf: ha! You fool! Do you think you have a chance at destroying me! No one can defeat me!  
  
Ganondorf raised one of his hands. A small yellow orb appeared in his hand and slowly began to grow.  
  
Maku: Grandpa! No!  
  
But it was to late. The yellow orb fired itself from Ganondorf hand and caught the Zora in the chest. The Zora let out a cry of surprise and flew backwards many feet before slamming into the sharp rock cliff.  
  
Maku: no!  
  
Maku leaped from the ledge he was on and landed on the ice. He rushed to his Grandfathers aid but the old Zora was already dead. A flame of hatred erupted into Maku. He turned to face Ganondorf.  
  
Maku: your mine!  
  
Maku hastily charged the dark lord. Ganondorf held up his hand and Maku fell on his back and slid back across the ice. Ganondorf laughed. Maku sprang back onto his feet and hurled his twin boomerangs simultaneously so that the boomerangs came at him from both sides. They struck Ganondorf but harmlessly bounced of him. Maku charged him again and pulled out his switchblades. He leaped into the air and attacked with a mid-air kick. Ganondorf caught his leg in mid-air. Maku lost his balance and clumsily fell onto the ice. He quickly stood up. But this time Ganondorf took his sword and swung a massive blow at Maku. It hit Maku in the side and went right through him. He died instantly.  
  
Treom: wake up!  
  
Drom: he's more hysterical then Link!  
  
Maku sprang up from his sleep screaming. He shook his head furiously and thrashed, kicking his legs and swinging his fist. It took Drom, Treom and Ralph to pin him securely to forest floor. Maku was panting heavily and was in cold sweat. He was flat on the forest floor and was looking up at a starry sky. He could feel several people pinning him to the ground. Ralph accidentally relinquished his grasp on Maku's leg and was kicked in the nose. Suddenly Link entered Maku's line of vision.  
  
Maku: Link! Ganondorf! Yellow eyes.... Ice...grandpa! Sword! Big sword!  
  
Maku began mumbling a list of things that had nothing in common with each other. Link slapped Maku across the face. Maku stopped struggling and relaxed onto the grass, breathing deeply.  
  
Link: what did you see!  
  
Maku: zoras domain! It was in ice! And grandpa, he was there! And we fought Ganondorf! And those evil yellow eyes!  
  
Link mumbled to himself  
  
Link: yellow eyes....  
  
Drom: man! First you then Maku! That is not a coincidence.  
  
Suddenly a chilling idea came to Link.  
  
Link: all of you go back to bed! Im guarding for the rest of the night!  
  
Treom: maybe I should help you.  
  
Link: no! It's too dangerous.  
  
Ralph: what do you mean!  
  
He was clutching his nose so his voice sounded strange.  
  
Ralph: besides these hallucinations you to are having nothing has happened to us!  
  
Link: just do it!  
  
This time he said with such force and gave Ralph such a strong glare that no one dared question his authority. After Maku was taken care of they all reluctantly went to sleep except Link. He seemed to have a plan because there was gleam in his eyes that showed his was thinking deeply. Instead of standing with his sword drawn in the clearing he sat with his legs bent as if he were meditating. They were all wondering what exactly he was planning on doing. When he was sure they were all asleep link lay on his back and looked up at the sky.  
  
Link: okay, Savroth, I don't really know who you are or what your doing. So I think it's about time we get acquainted!  
  
No sooner had he finished the sentence then he was asleep. 


	11. The Nomad Valley

Link appeared on a large circular platform. The platform was hovering in mid-air. It was hovering peacefully in space. There were no other objects in site except for the stars that covered the sky. Link knew he was dreaming at his plan was working. He looked down to see that he was dressed all in white. Link drew his shield and his sword. That's when he noticed someone on the opposite side of the platform from him. It was Link. Link stood staring at himself. The only visible difference was that he was wearing a black tunic, which was why Link hadn't seen him. It wasn't as much of a shock as you would think. Link had gone on many, many, quest and he had dealt with clones before. Besides, he knew that Savroth did not look just like him but was simply using this disguise so as to not give away his identity.  
  
Link: I knew it.  
  
Savroth: yes, you're a very bright guy. I knew you'd figure it out quickly. I'm attacking you and your friends by attacking there courage and will to go on. By dwelling on their darkest hours.  
  
Link: who are you? And where do you have Jamie?  
  
Savroth: what makes you think a kidnapped her?  
  
Link: you're the perfect suspect. You passed through town at the right time frame that it would have taken to steal her; you killed several Gorons with barely any movement, and now your trying to deter me by giving us nightmares about Ganondorf. Sounds like a reasonable suspect to me.  
  
Savroth: alas, aside from these clues you have no proof. I may be the mastermind behind this, the puppet master, so to speak. But you don't know who did the deed.  
  
Link: tricks and illusions can't deter me!  
  
Savroth: that is all to true, as I found when I attacked you in your sleep. You have no moments in your past that trouble you, nothing for me to dwell on. Your friends do however. So until I find a way to stop you I can feed on them. With you I was limited to showing off my powers. But since you've been on so many quests my powers don't seem as impressive either so I stopped trying to attack you altogether. Then again if I didn't try to slow you down it doesn't matter. My plan is perfect and not even you can stop me this time.  
  
Link: what do you want?  
  
Savroth: to show the world my might. By the time im done Hyrule will be my own empire. And I will use it to become the world's most dominant force.  
  
Link: no your not, because im ending this now!  
  
Link raised his sword and prepared to charge the sorcerer.  
  
Savroth: rise and shine.  
  
Link woke up. He looked around and found himself back in the clearing. He let out a cry of frustration. It was early morning. The sun was just coming up. He got back up on his feet. He was now more determined then ever to catch up to this guy and face him face to face. He pounded his fist into his hands as he imagined several exotic ways of defeating him and saving Jamie.  
  
Link: wake up!  
  
Link yelled at his comrades and they woke up instantly.  
  
Treom: what's the matter! Links in trouble!  
  
They all grabbed their weapons and sprang to their feet.  
  
Link: peace. Im fine. I just wanted to get a early head start.  
  
Maku: what's gotten into you?  
  
Drom: was there any trouble last night?  
  
Link: no, no trouble but I did learn some things. Most importantly is that we are chasing some lunatic. He thinks he can single handedly conquer Hyrule. Even Ganondorf couldn't do that. He had to raise massive legions of soldiers before he could begin his reign of terror.  
  
Ralph: you talked to him!  
  
Link: well, sort of. Come on gather your things and lets get moving we may be able to gain a lot of ground today. Today we should catch up. I'll explain on the way.  
  
And so the group to head east and quickly found the exit to the small patch of forest. As they walked link told them about what had happened while he slept. The group listened with keen interest.  
  
Maku: well that information makes my dream make much more sense. He was draining me on the thoughts of what happened that day when my grandfather died battling Ganondorf.  
  
Link: right. So remember if you have a dream like this try and remember that it is Savroth trying to mess with your minds.  
  
Drom: we still know very little about who he is or what he wants.  
  
Link: we can find that out when we find him.  
  
At 8 o'clock in the morning they came to what seemed to be a long valley. Before them was a long stretch of grass that was dotted with hundreds of boulders, rocks and caves. On either side there were large rocky hills that were covered with caves.  
  
Drom: careful barbarian clans live all over this place. The clans fight each other all the time and we could easily find ourselves in the middle of a battle.  
  
Link: he's right fighting is as natural as rain here.  
  
They walked through the maze of rock formations. Several times they came to a place that was littered with skeletons, which showed that many battles had been waged there. A few times Link saw some barbarians climbing along the hills and coming in and out of caves.  
  
Treom: what happens if they do start fighting.  
  
Link well, if we can't avoid im afraid all we can do is join the battle.  
  
As they walked farther through the more activity they saw in the hills all of the sudden scream came from one of the hills they looked over and saw one the barbarians had been struck by an arrow he stood in shock for a moment before collapsing and rolling down the rocky hill. by the time he reached the bottom he was severely cut up and dead instantly a large group of other barbarians came out, saw their friend dead and began looking around frantically for the murderer.  
  
Link: get down!  
  
They quickly ducked behind a large boulder.  
  
Ralph: did they see us?  
  
Link: I don't know.  
  
Maku: ah, shoot we're dead. They are going to start looking for who did it and they are going to find us.  
  
Link peeked out from behind the boulder and saw that there was now about 100 of them standing in a crowd and looking around with there weapons drawn. Then one of them saw link. He pointed frantically and began yelling. Soon the others had seen him to.  
  
Ralph: nice going.  
  
The whole clan began charging down the hill.  
  
Link: run for it.  
  
Just when they were about to get up and run, another clan popped up from the rocks behind them and fired several volleys of arrows right over their heads, just barely missing them.  
  
Maku: ah, holy hell!  
  
The two clans rushed at each other, with the group left standing in the middle.  
  
Link: Epona! Get you and the other horse out of here now!  
  
Epona obediently galloped away as fast as she could. Ralph's horse followed. The group darted from behind the rock and scramble up and even larger slab of rock so that they stood about five feet above everyone else.  
  
Link: don't draw attention to yourself and kill anyone that climbs this rock!  
  
They all stood up just as the two army's collided with each other soon the soldiers began trying to kill the group. They drew their weapons and battled the barbaric. The battled roared on even though it was pointless and stupid. There probably was no good reason at all why the one clan had attacked the other. They looked down at the fighting below them.  
  
Link: don't fall!  
  
He screamed over the roar of battle. Suddenly one of the men leaped onto the rock. Treom stabbed him with his spear. The man let out a cry of pain. He used his last ounce of strength to grab Treom before he fell backwards off the rock.  
  
Maku: Treom!  
  
But it was to late Treom and the man fell into the swarming cloud of fighting soldiers.  
  
As soon as he was in the middle of the battle the short Treom disappeared completely.  
  
Link: no!  
  
The clan that had been attacked was losing desperately and made a hasty retreat. The other clan followed leaving the group standing on the rock in the middle of nowhere.  
  
Drom: idiotic barbarians! They fight those pointless battles!  
  
Link: and they captured our friend. We have to go after them.  
  
Ralph: what! You can't just go poking through those caves!  
  
Link: I don't care if we have to kill everyone in this whole valley! We are not going on with out Treom! Ralph: then you can go! But I'm going to find my daughter!  
  
Link: fine!  
  
Drom, Maku and Link ran after the mob, leaving Ralph standing on the rock.  
  
Ralph: fine! I don't need you! It would have been nicer to leave me with a horse! Steal my horse! Leave me here! Losers!  
  
But they were already far in the distance. 


	12. Ralphs Rescue

Maku: and then there was three.  
  
Link: come on! We got to stay on their heels!  
  
They were chasing the army of nomads that was chasing another army of nomads that had captured their friend. This resulted in a giant race towards the safety of the hills, A massive scramble of hundreds of people as they clambered to get over a field of rocks before the others. The results were, needless to say chaotic. Link, Maku and Drom darted in between giant boulders trying to catch up with the mob. Finally the armies reached the mountainside the results were hundreds of people fighting to be the first to climb to the top of the slope and reach the caves. The hillside was made of extremely lose rocks and climbing it was deceptively difficult especially being in the back because if you were in the back the people in front of you send a shower of rocks down upon you. Link and the others tried to cover their faces as they slowly made their way up the hill.  
  
Drom: they are going to start a rockslide!  
  
Just as he said this the rocks up ahead all began to slide downward taking most of the soldiers with it. They began to slide all the way down the hill.  
  
Maku: we will be swept with them!  
  
Link: behind this!  
  
They scrambled to hide behind a large rock that was sticking out of the hill and made a nice shelter. Drom slipped on his way there and hit the rocks hard.  
  
Drom: go on without me! I'll stay down here! I'll try and hold them for as long as I can!  
  
As he said this the huge avalanche of people and rocks came past them and swept Drom away in it. The giant avalanche came to a stop at the bottom of the hill in a giant pile, leaving only a handful of people still trying to make it to the top. Suddenly someone did reach the top. It was someone from the defending army. He grabbed a large horn and blew into it. The low sounding horn echoed all through the valley. Very soon after the horn had went off, another army could be seen coming out from the opposite hill.  
  
Link: it's an allied army. They are calling reinforcements! We have to get Treom before this place turns into a gigantic battlefield.  
  
The people at the bottom off the hill had gotten up and had begun attacking each other. Maku and Link ran up the hill as fast as they could. The couple people that had reached the top ran to seek shelter inside the caves. Soon Link and Maku had made it as well and looked down upon the pointless battling that was taking place before them.  
  
Maku: I hope Drom is okay down there. Link: in here!  
  
They darted inside the nearest cave opening. They found them selves in a large chamber that was lit by many fires and had only a few scattered possessions.  
  
Link: these must be their homes. We'll split up search all the caves on the hill.  
  
Maku and Link drew their blades and headed off in two different directions. Link carefully stepped over giant rocks that were in his way. If he fell, hitting the rocks could kill him. After searching most of the lower caves and finding nothing in them he reasoned that Treom had been taken higher up the foothill. He ran up to a large 180-degree rock wall. He put his foot on a rock that was sticking out of the cliff and he slowly began to scale the rock. He took his time, careful to find a good foothold before moving on. He looked down to see that he they had climbed several hundred feet off the ground. It was to late to turn back now. He looked over at his side and saw Maku was also scaling the rock wall, but since Maku had lived his whole life in Zoras domain he was very good at climbing, as were all the Zoras in the Domain. He was quickly climbing the wall like a spider.  
  
Maku: see you at the top Link.  
  
Link watched as Maku easily passed him and continued to climb to the top. Suddenly an arrow struck a section of wall next to Link. He looked down to see that some of the nomads were firing arrows at him. Link hurried his attempt at climbing the wall. He finally managed to make it to the top. He looked back over the edge and saw that the nomads were now climbing the wall themselves. Link looked around and saw that he was standing on a small piece land that was on the side of the mountain and held the entrances to three caves. Maku was not there. Link rushed into the cave on the left. Nothing. He ran back out and went into the cave in the middle. This time he found Treom. It appeared that Treom had escaped his captors and was now in the middle of the room brandishing a spear. Several soldiers that were trying to get close to him without being touched by the spear surrounded him. Link charged the nearest soldier and stabbed him in the back. He quickly pulled his sword out of his foes back and cut down two more of the barbaric men before anyone realized what was happening. The soldiers turned their attention to Link but this gave Treom just the opportunity Treom was looking for to stab the closest one in the leg. The man gave a howl of pain and the men returned their attention to Treom. Link cut down two of them from behind. The nomads split into two groups. One group attacked Link while the other tried to capture Treom. Link threw a blow at the nearest guard but it was blocked by the guard's own sword. He was tackled from the side and hit the ground hard. Links sword went flying across the room and skidded across the floor. Both Link and one of the soldiers launched themselves at the weapon and began wrestling for control of the sword. Link was losing his grip on the sword when Treom jumped the enemies back and began choking him. The man let go of the sword, to try and get Treom off of him. But Link seized the sword and sank his sword into the man. He got back up and cut down another charging soldier. There were only four guards left. One of them grabbed his bow and arrow and aimed it Link. But Treom took one of his spears and threw it with extreme skill, going through the archer's heart. The remaining soldiers did not dare fight them. Instead they made a retreat and ran out the cave.  
  
Treom: thanks for the rescue.  
  
Link: come on we got to find Maku and Drom and get out of here.  
  
Treom: what about Ralph?  
  
Link: who cares?  
  
The two companions retrieved their weapons and ran back outside. When they came outside they saw the three guards that had escaped. One of them had Maku in a chokehold around the neck and was pointing a switchblade at Maku's head. Behind them the nomads that had been chasing Link finally made it to the top and got up to join their friends.  
  
Treom: how are we going to get out of this one?  
  
One of the men indicated to Link and Treom to put down their weapons. They both obediently threw their weapons on the ground and put their hands up. Four of the men walked up to them to take them prisoner. Suddenly behind the soldiers Link saw Drom climb up over the wall with Ralph in tow they snuck up behind the soldiers and killed several of them before the others realized they were there. Link used the diversion to punch one of his captors in the face. Treom kicked one of the others and together they knocked out the four of them before retrieving their weapons. This left Drom, Ralph, Link, Treom and Maku the only ones left on the cliff.  
  
Drom: I was in a tight spot down there.  
  
Ralph: and I came in to save the day.  
  
Ralph gave Link a look that said "now who's the hero?"  
  
Drom: then we saw you guys climbing that cliff and that you were being chased so we came as fast as we could.  
  
Link: well good. Now we're all here.  
  
Ralph: no not the horses.  
  
Link: they will find their way.  
  
Link flashed his ocarina.  
  
Maku: it's going to be hard to climb down.  
  
Link: no. We'll just head down the other side of the hill. It isn't nearly as steep and we won't need to worry about the clan's fighting. We will just take a little detour.  
  
And so the group began making their way off the mountain. 


	13. The First Lead

Links blade was stained with blood and shone like a red flame as he raised his sword above his head. Links sword came down on his opponents shoulder. The man let out a cry of frustration and pain and fell to the ground. Link let out a roar.  
  
Link: im really getting mad!  
  
His face was sweaty and his expression of hate was livid.  
  
Ralph: I thought you said we wouldn't run into trouble by going this way.  
  
Link slowly turned his gaze towards Ralph.  
  
Link: you really don't want to mess with me right now!  
  
He didn't need to say anything else. He stood there with his sword drenched in blood. He had his shield drawn and had a gleam in his eyes.  
  
Maku: where are they coming from! We've spent the last hour cutting down enemies.  
  
They were standing on a narrow path that was on the side of a small cliff. The path curved downwards. They were near the base of the hill.  
  
Treom: more!  
  
He pointed at about ten more people running up the hill towards them.  
  
Drom: let me spare you the effort.  
  
Drom stepped in front of them and curled into the classic Goron roll. The maneuver was probably the most recognizable trait of a Goron. Drom began rolling towards the enemy, gaining speed as he went. The man that was in front of the pack swung his sword as Drom got within reach but the sword could not penetrate Dorms thick back. He ran right into the crowd, sending them flying or rolling over them. He came to a stop and got back on his feet.  
  
Maku: nice.  
  
Link: come on we are almost out of this hellhole.  
  
They looked around and saw all over the hillside that the clans were engaging each other in combat.  
  
Ralph: what's that.  
  
He pointed his sword toward the base of the hill. At the bottom lay a large lake. Around the side of the lake was a large caravan. They could make out that it was a very large nomadic tribe. The difference between them and the ones that they had run into before was that they were more civilize and seemed slightly less eager to go to war. Most of the caravan was women and children walking alongside wagons and carts. It was flanked with troops. The soldiers surrounded the train and from their high up view they could see that the rest had spread out in a circle to keep a look out for any danger. The train was moving away from the mountain and seemed to be prepared for a long journey. Suddenly from up the path a group of nomads arrived. They were from the same tribe as the ones down below on the train.  
  
Nomad: spies of Savroth!  
  
One of the soldiers leaped at Link. Link punched him in the gut a pushed him back towards the group.  
  
Link: what about Savroth!  
  
Nomad: are you on our side?  
  
Link: that depends on what side your on. Do you have anything to do with Savroth?  
  
Soldier: he is our enemy.  
  
Link: then we are your friends.  
  
Maku: where are you going?  
  
Soldier: My tribe and me have been recently attacked by some of Savroth's soldiers. We think that they have an outpost near here. Our mission is to destroy the installation. Then we will take our people to a certain place that has already been arranged. There we will leave our people to build a permanent encampment. Our people our growing weary of living here. After they are safe our men will go to our allies in the south and convince them to join forces with us. Then with our combined force we will help lead the assault against that evil emperor of darkness.  
  
Link: Savroth has a prisoner of royalty. We come from the land of Hyrule. Im Link, the hero of time.  
  
Soldier: my name is Formar. So, you are the warrior of legend?  
  
Link: yes. We are trying to find Savroth and rescue the princess of the royal kingdom.  
  
Formar: you and your company should join us. we can lead you on the right path.  
  
Link: and in return we will help you fight of the soldiers that attacked your people.  
  
Formar: good, there is no time to lose our caravan is leaving. He pointed towards the train, which was heading into the forest and was almost out of site.  
  
Formar: follow us.  
  
The men ran back down the path and the company followed. The men showed them the quickest way of the war torn hill. They ran through the small patch of forest and soon came to the huge lake. The last of the train was heading into the woods. The group ran towards the caravan and leaped onto the back of one of the wagons just as it went down the path that leads into the trees.  
  
Link: we made it.  
  
Formar: we will go and spread the word of your arrival so that all our men will recognize you as friend.  
  
The men slid off the back of the wagon and began telling people of their new companions.  
  
Ralph: finally we can get some real rest.  
  
He let himself fall backwards into the wagon and onto a pile of supplies.  
  
Link: I wonder if the horses made it out okay. They would have a hard time climbing that hill.  
  
Formar: you lost horses?  
  
Formar was walking right behind the wagon.  
  
Link: yes, two.  
  
Formar: are these them?  
  
Link hopped of and followed Formar the front of the wagon they were on. Pulling the cart were the two horses.  
  
Link: yes!  
  
Formar: they ran into our camp as the last of us were leaving. They had supplies so we used them to pull the wagons. Your supplies our in the wagon they are pulling.  
  
Link patted Epona  
  
Link: you okay?  
  
The horse whinnied.  
  
Link: good. Thanks for taking care of them. Formar: no problem.  
  
They made camp at the far end of the long lake. They didn't go that far since the day was already almost over. Link sat at the edge of the trees, with his back against a large tree. He sat staring at the calm lake. Maku walked by and saw Link sitting there.  
  
Maku: I don't think Savroth will attack in our dreams tonight. Not with so many people here.  
  
Link: It doesn't matter if he does. It's just an illusion.  
  
Maku: ya know, you're really brave, and im not talking about that stupid hunk of metal you have on your hand. Your father must be a great man.  
  
Link: he was.  
  
Link had a glazed expression in his eye and the moon could be seen reflecting in them.  
  
Maku: your parents are dead?  
  
Link: yep.  
  
Maku: what happened?  
  
Link: well, I suppose my mom isn't truly dead. They died when I was less then a year old. It was during the days of the Hyrulian civil war. In the days when the rumors over where the Triforce was held sprang up and whole armies battled each other to obtain it. Even the Hyrulian were over come with greed. My mother and father were some of the few people fighting only to end the madness. It happened the night they had decided to flee the city. They made a plan to leave with me and go into hiding. They planned to do it the next morning. But that night a large group of Kakariko rebels attacked the castle. It was decided that my father would be the one in charge of the guard. The army was able to get into the castle and tried to kill the king. My father protected the king from an oncoming slew of enemies and bought the king enough time to escape. But eventually he became overwhelmed and was hit in the right shoulder with an axe. He fought until his very last breath. As the battle swarmed all over the kingdom my mother got word that her husband had fallen. She went to the royal stable and stole a horse. She took me and rode out of the city with me in her arms. She was chased and had minor wounds but she was able to escape under the cover of darkness. She rode to the only place in Hyrule that had not joined the war. She rode to kokori forest. At the time, no mortal could enter the forest. But my mother took me into the woods despite what fate she might meet. She came before the great Deku tree. She begged him to look after her child. The tree agreed to spare me because he could sense that I was the child that would save Hyrule. He told my mother to take me to the village. She agreed even though she knew of the curse that would befall mortals that entered the forest with out permission. But my mother did not care as long as she could be certain I would be safe. She walked to the village, growing weaker with every step. Finally she came upon two of the children. She used her last breath to tell the children what the Deku tree had said and to look after me. Then the curse took effect and on the spot my mother turned into the sapling of a tree and became another of the millions of trees that made up the woods. And so I can assume my mother is still alive and that she will probably out live me. But I can't be certain.  
  
Maku and Link sat in silence for a moment.  
  
Maku: wow.  
  
Link: I don't talk about it much. I just wonder what might have happened if my father could have survived. Maybe my fate would be different if only my father had had a few more soldiers help him defend the throne. Then he and my mother could have left Hyrule and gone to live in another land until the war was over. Then I just wonder what would've happen.  
  
Maku: I wonder what might have happened if I had been able to help my grandfather. If only I was as skilled back then as I am today. I might have been able to keep him alive.  
  
Link: no, then you would have both died.  
  
Maku: maybe. But it wouldn't have mattered just as long as we went down together instead of one of us living to woe over the other.  
  
The two of them sat for a long time staring out at the lake.  
  
Link: I know what it feels like to lose someone like that. And believe me, I am not going through that with Jamie. Savroth will not get away with this. 


	14. The Flame Of The Belrog

The caravan was packed and ready to go before the sun came up. The people worked busily packing their supplies and hooking the wagons to the horses. Link walked over to Formar, who was overseeing the move.  
  
Link: Morning.  
  
Formar: Morning.  
  
Link: Hey, you never told me what exactly where this group of Savroth's soldiers is doing or where they are.  
  
Formar's face went slightly stiff. At that moment Treom and Maku walked by. He looked at them and then whispered something in Links ear. Links eyes widened slightly.  
  
Link: that's in possible! He can't do that can he?  
  
Formar solemnly nodded.  
  
Formar: Ganondorf was able to summon Volvagia to his service, why can't Savroth do this.  
  
Link's face turned slightly pale.  
  
Link: well if that's the case then I don't know what we can do about it.  
  
Formar: we are just trying to destroy the installation they have at Mt. Helkiplier.  
  
He pointed to a large mountain that was only a couple of miles away.  
  
Link: wow, we're that close to it.  
  
Formar: yes, we will be ready for battle by this afternoon.  
  
Link: right.  
  
The caravan finished packing and it set out again. Link and Ralph detached their horses and joined the Caravan guard on horseback. They followed a path that led through the small patches of forest. At about two o'clock they came out of the woods and were in a large plain. The mountain was close. Suddenly the caravan came to a stop.  
  
Formar: women, children and all other things that are not to fight must stop and stay here. Men, prepare, we march upon the mountain in one hour. There was a scramble of men grabbing, swords, clubs, shields, bows, armor and torches. Link was given chain mail armor that was very elaborately detailed and shone gold. He sharpened and cleaned his blade until it sparkled in the sun and was sharp enough to cut down a tree with one strike. He polished his Hylian shield so that it to gleamed a dazzling blue. He filled his quiver with arrows and slung it over his back. Then he took hold of his Bow and swung it over his shoulder. He put Zelda's three stones in his pocket as well as his hook shot. Now he was ready for battle. He climbed unto Epona and galloped to meet the soldiers that were leaving. As he was leaving though he heard a distinctive rustling in the bushes. He looked over and it stopped.  
  
Link: pirates. The bloody pirates must have followed us!  
  
He quickly took out his bow and fired into the trees. Someone let out a sharp cry of pain and there was a mad scramble to retreat.  
  
Link: should have known they'd follow us.  
  
He continued forward and joined the large group of men that had assembled. It was a small bunch of soldiers. Link slowly rode through the crowd of men that had assembled. They were ragged and were not properly trained. Their weapons were not well treated and were dirty. The numbers were not impressive. When counted the group of soldiers came out to be this.  
  
200 militias, 50 archers, 20 cavalry archers, 60 cavalry units, 1 prince, 1 Goron, 1deku, 1 Zora and 1 hero of time.  
  
This was hardly enough men to seriously consider attacking with. Link frowned at the unimpressive army.  
  
Link: do you have any more swords?  
  
Formar: yeah, many, just not enough men to wield them.  
  
Link: then the women shall fight.  
  
To this there was many gasp of shock, shouts of anger and grumbling of disagreement.  
  
Link: we need more man power then this! I've seen women that are more skilled warriors then me! Any women that can wield a sword I want fighting until we have no more spare weapons.  
  
The women slowly equipped themselves. When they were done there was 200 more soldiers, leaving only a handful that were left behind.  
  
Link: lets give 'em hell!  
  
The army let out a united cheer and began marching in a line toward the mountain. Maku rode with Link on Epona and Treom rode with Ralph. The four of them rode in front followed by the cavalry then the infantry and the archers in the back. Then men in back started a chorus of singing that link and the others had never heard before. Despite the low number of soldiers their moral seemed high. The sun crawled higher and higher upward as they marched toward the looming mountain. As they approached the mountain shadows seemed to crawl up it and it seemed to grow increasingly blacker. Link silenced their singing as they came within earshot of Mt. Helkiplier. They passed through a very thin layer of trees and emerged in another large field that would serve as the battlefield. They could now see small buildings and houses sticking out of the mountain. Link could make out small figures crawling around like ants. The soldiers took up formation and prepared their charge. A horn rang out from the mountain and Link could see the small figures suddenly scramble in all directions.  
  
Link: all right, all cavalry units, we will lead the charge. Infantry will come up behind us. All archers are to stay on higher ground and cover us.  
  
To soldiers took their appropriate formation and readied themselves. They could see a large army of enemy troops had formed at the base of the mountain and were running at full speed towards them.  
  
Link: we have to strike soon so we can be as close to the mountain as possible.  
  
Formar and Drom came up next to Link.  
  
Link: Drom you think you could roll ahead of us?  
  
Drom: sure thing.  
  
Link: Formar, what types of soldiers are we looking at here?  
  
Formar: Lizafoes, men and urk-hai are all we've seen.  
  
Link: All right we might be able to handle that. Are we all ready!  
  
The men behind him gave a roar of encouragement.  
  
Link: on my mark the cavalry charges!  
  
The number of enemy troops seemed to increase as they got closer and closer. Drom curled into a ball.  
  
Link: Maku, fire my bow on horseback. Treom, throw your spears.  
  
They nodded and took the weapons. Ralph and Link gripped their swords and shield.  
  
Link: charge!  
  
The front line let out a roar and charged at the enemy. The infantry followed. They swept over the field like a wave and drew nearer the enemy. They were only 100 feet away. Maku fired the bow and it struck one of the men in the neck. Drom rolled ahead and collided with the enemy line first. Link glimpsed him run over a urk-hai before he to collided with the enemy. Epona reared back on her rear legs and kick several foes out of the way, forming a small clearing in between the soldiers and although there were men fighting alongside them they were surrounded by a thick cloud of enemy soldiers. Maku fired his bow into the crowd and heard a sharp cry of pain as it struck something. the noise of battle swarmed all around them, creating a cloud of confused frenzy. A lizafoe leaped at Link with a crazed gleam in its eye. A lizafoe is a horrible mutation of a man crossed with a lizard. They have scaly green skin. They stand upright like a man but besides that they resemble a lizard. Their head is shaped like a salamander and they have razor sharp teeth. They have a long and surprisingly lethal tail. They aren't very bright but still manage to be able to forge blades and armor. Little is known about the culture and society of this foul creature. The lizard leaped high in the air and was about to bring its sword down on link, but link thrust his blade into the Lizafoes stomach. Green blood shot from the wound and splattered Link and Maku. Link held the impaled Lizard above his head, still stuck to the sword as if it were some sort of trophy, before he let it slump to the ground. Another one lunged at him but Treom killed it with a well-placed spear before it completed the jump. Suddenly about five enemy soldiers jumped on top of Epona and knocked Link and Maku from her. Epona broke free of her captures, sending them flying in all directions. She retreated into the protection of the friendly soldiers and disappeared. Link, not wanting to be overwhelmed by the enemy, used Dins fire to kill all of the enemy soldiers with a five-foot radius. Then he cut down several soldiers with ease. The battlefield was now stained with blood of different colors and the end result was a murky brown color that covered the field. Link found himself again surrounded on all sides by Lizafoes. They gnashed their teeth and taunted him. Link lunged at one, beheaded it and watched it fall to the ground, oozing green blood everywhere. One of them leaped at Link and did a sort of flip in mid-air. Its tail struck Link in the chest and easily opened up the wound he had received in the forest from fighting the wolves. He let out a sharp cry of pain as his shirt and armor turned red with his own blood. He clutched his chest and fell to his knees. One of the Lizafoes came at him from behind and clamped his teeth on Links head. Link threw his hands up and desperately held the jaws back. He knew that a Lizafoe could crush his skull with the power generated by their teeth. He felt the teeth sink into his head and leave small holes in his head. It wasn't a serious wound, but it would be fatal if they went in any further. He struggled to hold back the razor sharp teeth. It trashed violently and Link nearly lost his grip. Drom saw the two of them struggling and rushed to Links aid. He came up from behind and cut the Lizard in half with a mighty swing of his axe. Then he threw Link over his shoulder and fell back into the army of soldiers behind him. On the grand scale of things it could have been much worse, but still the wounds hurt badly, especially the sharp sting he had suffered from that one's tail. As he walked he was jumped from behind. Drom could not fight while holding Link so he reluctantly threw Link onto the ground, turned around and faced the slew of foes before him. The sun slowly disappeared behind the hill behind them and darkness crept over the raging battle. The struggle was coming down to the wire. The armies were just about evenly matched but if they won a victory here on the field they probably would not have enough to destroy the installation, unless something intervened with the battle somehow. Things were looking grim. Burning torches now lighted the fight. Link watched as hundreds of bobbing torches did battle in the night. They would have to retreat soon. The odds were getting to be stacked against them. Link helplessly lay on the grass as soldiers ran past him to join their friends. The thing that happened next was so violent and sudden that it nearly halted all the soldiers, form both sides, where they stood. There was a massive earthquake. The ground rocked so fiercely that most were not able to stay upright. There was a moment confusion and chaos following it. Then the mountain itself began to move. The top of the mountain trembled before exploding in ball of fire. Rocks were sent raining down for miles around.  
  
Link: no! We're to late.  
  
He struggled to his feet, clutching his chest. The mountain fired a blast of white-hot Lava sailing into the sky. Its light illuminated the whole battlefield. By now everyone had frozen in their place and no one was fighting anyone, but instead staring in awe at the sight before them. Lava ran down the side of the mountain in a dazzling eruption. Then, from the crater at the top of the volcano, a Large, fiery red hand appeared. It had gigantic talons and the hand seemed to be made of hardened Lava. The hand gripped the side of the mountain and the rest of the creature pulled it's self up, before them stood a menacing, enormous, angry and evil belrog. It stood on top of the mountain and spread its massive wings. Lava sprayed from them as they moved up and down. It raised its head into the air and fired a enormous blast of flame into the air from its mouth. The belrog was an enormous creature. People know very little about this foul monster. They are very rare to come by. They usually live their whole lives inside a volcano. They are extremely aggressive and extremely dangerous. Until this moment no one has been able to tame a belrog, but Savroth managed to do it. How and to what purpose they didn't know yet, but he sure did do it. The belrog had two horns like that of a ram. Its claws were very sharp and could cut through still with very little force. Smoke came of it whenever it moved. Its most noticeable feature was its eyes. Its eyes were like rubies and they shown brighter then anything else on the belrog. They had a piercing gaze and legend has it that if a belrog concentrated hard enough it could kill a man just by looking at him. The belrog let out a loud roar and took flight. It swooped down that mountain and sped towards the battle. As it flew over it shot a blast of flame into the ground killing soldiers from both sides. It turned up into the air and came around for another pass. Link stood up slowly even if he was hurt he just had to stand up to it somehow. The belrog came down low and repeated its attack it headed in links direction. It pulled up just as it reached Link. Link acted quickly. He reached into his pocketed and pulled out his hook shot. The hook shot was a trusty spring-loaded device that fired a metal hook that was tied to a chain. When it sank into something the wieldier could recoil the chain and therefore pulling himself along. As the belrog went over him he fired it into the belrog right upper leg. The belrog seemed not to notice in the slightest. Link was dragged a couple feet before the slack on the chain ended and he was hoisted into the air. The belrog went high into the night sky this time. It swung around a Link swayed at a dangerous angle. He was desperately holding on with one hand to the handle of the hook shot. The belrog swooped down again and Link flew no more then a foot above the armies. Several times enemies jumped in a attempt to attack Link but failed. Link hovered inches above their heads and cut his foot on the tip of someone's sword. He let out a howl of pain but managed to keep a hold onto the chain. As the belrog rose up again there was a sudden jerk on the chain put this time Link could feel that it was not from the monsters movement alone this time. Link looked up and to his horror saw that the metal spike on the end of the chain was melting. The chains were begun to melt away and soon the hook shot would be useless and Link would fall to his death. He had to get the belrog on the ground some how or he would be a goner. He looked up at the belrog and smoke blew in his face. He held his breath so he didn't pass out from inhaling the smoke and ash. He reached over his shoulder and drew his sword. Everyone on the battlefield was watching his struggle high above the ground now. He took hold of the sword with his free hand. With what strength he could muster he threw the sword as hard as he could. The blade soared towards the belrog and pierced underneath its chin. The blade went up through its mouth and touched the roof of its mouth. It was a critical hit. The belrog had not noticed him before but it sure did notice Link now. It let out a roar of pain and anger and it began to bleed white-hot lava, which fell back down the earth and barely missed Link as they did. The belrog began to fall towards earth. The belrog fell first and dragged Link along with him. The force would have ripped his arm off if it had not been that the chain snapped at that moment. Both Link and the belrog fell back towards earth. They were moving at a slight angle, away from everyone else. Link landed on the belrog's back in mid flight and rode it all the way down. They came down in a large plain near where the battle was taking place. The belrog left a large crater where it fell and Link flew at least forty feet before hitting the ground again. The force of being throw from the beast and then hitting the ground had knocked the wind out of him. The belrog let out a roar of anger and got back on its feet. Link watched as the sword that he had thrown melted and fell onto the ground in a big pile of molten metal. Link struggled to his feet and pulled out his shield. The belrog blew a blast of fire at him. Link aimed his shield at it as it came in and the fired bounced of the shield and went around him in a big dome of flame. it left him standing in a circle of charred grass. Link reached inside his pocket to pull out Zelda's stones. They weren't there they must have fallen out while he had been up in the air. Maku had his bow. Link wasn't very well equipped or in the best condition to try and take on a belrog. The belrog protruded its claws and marched towards Link. Link, thinking quickly reached inside his pocketed and pulled out his trusty boomerang. Link had gotten his boomerang when he was a kid. He carried it with him even though it wasn't a very lethal weapon. In the darkness the most noticeable target was the creatures eye. Link flung the boomerang with skill and it struck the monster in the eye. It howled with anger and Link ran into the woods behind him. The belrog threw fire at him and set many trees on fire but Link was to deep into the woods. He staggered back out on the other side. He looked over his shoulder and saw the belrog take flight into the night sky and fly away. He was mentally and physically exhausted and he was badly wounded. He collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness. 


	15. Savroth's mistake

When Link woke up he slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Formar's face staring down at him. It took him a moment for his brain to register his face. He didn't know where he was all he could see past Formar was a dark green canvas. He could feel that he had been heavily bandaged and he was very sore.  
  
Formar: He's awake!  
  
Link heard several people approach where he lay. Maku's face came into his view.  
  
Maku: wow. Trying to stop a belrog when your seriously wounded. That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen someone do.  
  
He laughed. Drom now came into his line of sight.  
  
Drom: one of these days you're going to try a stunt like that and its gona get you killed.  
  
Link: did...it.... get away.  
  
Treom: yeah, it head towards the east.  
  
Link: did we win?  
  
Ralph: well lets put it this way if by win you mean having a belrog come and massacre half the men from both sides and then everyone running away in a mad panic, then yes we won.  
  
Formar: well, what happened was this. The eruption completely wiped out the base. That belrog went on a mad killing spree while it was dragging you around. After the two of you crashed everyone went off in all directions in a hasty retreat. We found you and you've been out for a couple hours. We regrouped what men we had left and are flushing out the enemy troops. Now the battlefield spans for miles. We took some men and headed back to the supplies and made a temporary base. Here, we'll be able to hold out till morning. Just relax your safe in here.  
  
Maku: yeah, you can say that again, all we've been doing for the last hour is guarding this tent.  
  
Link: Epona.  
  
Treom: she got herself out, I saw her not to long ago, she's around here somewhere, apparently she feels that horses should help flush out the enemy to and she won't let us tie her up. She's been prancing around camp on night.  
  
Link could feel a large bandage wrapped around his head. They had also wrapped his chest and his leg. He was bruised in several places. His hands and leg ached and hurt, probably from hitting the ground when he was flung from the belrog. He must be a sight, Link thought.  
  
Treom: you should get some rest we'll be outside.  
  
Formar: how about we go in shifts? There is three beds in here, two of us can sleep while the others stand guard, we'll rotate.  
  
Maku: sounds, good. Formar and me will sleep first while the rest of you stand guard and we'll switch out.  
  
Drom: all right, we'll be okay nothing is going to get trough us.  
  
Suddenly Link heard several things move outside the tent.  
  
Soldier: get em off of me! Argh!  
  
Soldier: die foul creatures!  
  
He heard something howl and heard blood gushing everywhere.  
  
Drom: dang it! They must have gotten into camp again. Get some rest.  
  
The three of them ran outside.  
  
Maku: he's right we should rest up.  
  
The two of them got into the adjoining beds that was next to Link and fell asleep.  
  
It was about an hour later, the three of them had helped some soldiers drive out a pack of Lizafoes and were now leaning against the tarp near the door. Treom had a spear out and was pacing in front of the door. Ralph had his horse with him and was feeding him an apple. Drom was fingering one of his axes and was sitting with his back against the wall. That's when a stranger entered the camp. Drom saw him first and leaped to his feet. The three of them stood in front of the door with their weapons drawn. The mysterious figure was had gray cloak that concealed his face and he was striding toward the tent. Drom raised his axe.  
  
Drom: who's there?  
  
The stranger continued to come closer.  
  
Drom: stay there or I will cut you down!  
  
The man stopped in front of them. He held his hand out from under his cloak.  
  
Savroth: sleep...  
  
The three of them fell asleep instantly and slumped to the ground. Savroth stepped over them and into the tent. Once inside he saw the three beds and went to the one on the right.  
  
Savroth: it ends here.  
  
Savroth took out a large dagger and raised it above Link. He plunged the dagger into Links heart. Link woke up and sputtered as blood gushed everywhere. Savroth grabbed his pillow and pressed it into his face until the blood stopped and he stopped moving. He left the dagger there and silently left the camp  
  
Treom woke up in the middle of the forest. It took him a moment to remember where he was but he knew he had not fallen asleep in the forest. He stood up and gasped. All around him Deku's were doing battle with monsters of all species. This was the battle for the southern side of the wood. This was the day that had been etched into his mind since that day.  
  
Deku: what do we do now commander?  
  
Treom turned around and saw 8 Young Deku's standing before him.  
  
Treom: no!  
  
Before him stood platoon number 58, the same group of soldiers that he had lead to their deaths. Behind stood the fortress.  
  
Treom: this can't be happening!  
  
Soldier: come on! They're coming!  
  
Soldier: we still have a cannon inside; we may be able to hold them off with it!  
  
This had been where he had made his mistake. It had been 15 years ago. He and his group had been assigned to fight on the front line. Their mission was to keep control of the bunker that lay right on the front line and was keeping the enemy out of their territory. The fortress was a small stone structure that offered protection and had cannon holes in it for defense. There had been one cannon left inside. He had made the mistake of not using it.  
  
Treom: we'll use the....  
  
But he couldn't finish the sentence. It was like some unseen force was making him relive the experience.  
  
Treom: we'll.... Fight them.... Hand to hand.  
  
Soldier: are you sure?  
  
Treom: n.... yes. Soldier: All right. Charge!  
  
The 8 of them rushed toward the front of the bunker and faced the slew of enemies coming their way. Treom ran after them against his will. The scene replayed itself just as it had 15 years ago. The 9 of them battle the enemies bravely. Treom had very little control of his body and was being forced to fight by some unseen force. That's when the enemies ran past them and ran inside the bunker.  
  
Treom: no!  
  
The enemies fired the cannon and it struck two of his men.  
They died instantly. Then he appeared. From up on the hill the dark  
rider  
appeared he charged Treom men and cut down four of them where they  
stood.  
The last two of his men jumped in the rider's way, protecting him. He  
used his  
sword to cut them down. He gained control of himself again and was now  
faced  
with the terrors that had taken the village and captured the forest  
temple. The  
rider looked down at him with those horrible glowing red eyes. Treom  
screamed  
with anger and thrust his spear into the horse's chest. At that moment  
everything  
Disappeared in a flash and he stood with his spear drawn. He snapped  
awake as  
if coming out of a trance. His spear was covered with blood. At his  
feet lay  
Ralph's horse, it was dead. It had been stabbed in the chest. That's  
when Ralph  
and Drom woke up from their sleep. The first thing they saw was Treom  
standing over the slain horse brandishing a spear. Treom just looked  
at them  
with his mouth hanging open. They stared at each other for a moment in  
total  
disbelief.  
  
Ralph: my god.... What did you do to my horse!  
  
Treom just looked at him and uttered a low moan.  
  
Ralph: I'll kill you!  
  
He jumped to his feet and charged Treom with his hands outstretched  
He grabbed Treom by the neck and began strangling him.  
Drom came up from behind him, lifted Ralph into the air and threw him  
aside.  
Treom dropped to the ground with a thud.  
  
Treom: it was a Dream! Get Link!  
  
Drom Ran inside the tent a gasped. There was a dagger protruding from  
Formar's heart. A pillow was over his head to stop him from making  
noise.  
Blood was everywhere. Someone had assassinated him.  
  
Drom: what the hell?  
  
They had left Maku and Link but had assassinated Formar. How had they  
gotten  
Pass their guard?  
  
Drom: Maku, Link wake up!  
  
The two of them woke up and looked over at Formar.  
  
Maku: oh my god.  
  
Link: it was Savroth. He tried to kill me but he must have made a mistake and killed Formar.  
  
Drom: Treom had one of those dreams. He killed Ralph's horse.  
  
Link: Dang he's good.  
  
Maku: well at least we know that even he can make a mistake.  
  
No one found that statement very comforting. 


	16. The Pursuit Of The Beast

Chapter 16: In Pursuit Of Shadow And Flame  
  
Within minutes at least 30 soldiers had gathered to examine the crime scene and get the full story of what happened and how it was allowed to happen. The honest truth was they had fallen asleep but this didn't fly to well with the people of the tribe. Link had removed the heavy bandages and replaced them with more portable ones. He used two walking sticks as crutches so his foot didn't get affected with dirt. He was over talking with Treom in private about what he had seen in the dream.  
  
Link: the only difference between what you saw and what we saw was that you happened to be sleep walking at the time. Don't let it bother you Savroth is trying to see if he can't corrupt you from within. So far, even though it's rattled us, he hasn't really found a foothold from where he can dwell. Im pretty sure he'll give up on the campaign soon. I just whish I knew more about him. We still have no idea what his purpose is or what he is planning to do.  
  
There was a thick dread wafting its way through the camp. You could almost cut through it with your sword. It was a very grim atmosphere. Treom sat on a log with a blanket at sat staring at his feet and shivering fiercely. Maku had two switchblades drawn and was guarding the camp frantically, He must've thought that Savroth was still there and might be lurking in a bush a few feet away. Link had to contain a laugh when Maku attempted to enhance his chances of staying awake by drinking coffee. Zoras do not drink coffee and it showed as Maku took one sip and spit it out immediately with a expression of disgust.  
  
Maku: how do you people drink that stuff!  
  
Ralph was still furious about his horse and was complaining to anyone that would listen {which was few}. He would take his rage out on Treom except for the fact that Drom had threatened to break his legs if he bothered him about it. Drom was still being bombarded with questions as to what happened. Link had given up on sleep and so was limping around aimlessly, much like his horse. As Link passed an area of bushes He looked over and saw them hiding. Those pirates, what do they want? They were following them ever since they had run into them at the border of Hyrule. They had been following Savroth when they passed through Town. If they were looking for him why didn't they join them in the hunt instead of lurking behind them and following them?  
  
Link: it's probably because they don't think that we are friends.  
  
He reached back into his wallet and pulled out the card he had earned years ago by the out smarting all of the pirates in the fortress of thieves. It gave him access to the fortress and the desert that lay beyond it. He threw the card at the pirates and limped away. It would not be wise to get into a confrontation. There was little more problems with the enemy that night and it continued this way until daybreak. Link walked over to one of the generals.  
  
Link: where do you plan to go now?  
  
General: we have friends in the south; we are leaving this morning to gain their support. Then we will use our combined strengthen to run a campaign against Savroth.  
  
Link: My party and me are going to follow that belrog. I have a score to settle with it. We are still on a mission to rescue the princess from him, if it is he that has her.  
  
General: you should be able to catch up easily on horseback. Our scouts report that it is on foot now and is proceeding slowly. It was last seen heading for Jesgern Forest. That is home to a great Deku empire that is an enemy of Savroth. Savroth has gained many enemies and few allies. A belrog could light the whole city ablaze with little effort. They will need your help. As a gift I give you 4 of our finest horses. Are you in a fit state to ride?  
  
Link: do I have a choice? Oh im fine I've been wounded a lot worse then this. These are just minor battle scars.  
  
General: All right. You may want these.  
  
He turned around and picked up a handful of items.  
  
General: here is a new sword for you. Maku: made this boomerang for you out of the remains of your old one. We were able to find your three stones you lost. Here's your bow. Our blacksmith fixed your hook shot. And take these as a personal thank you from me.  
  
He handed him a sack.  
  
General: that sack contains bombs. They are powerful explosives. Use them wisely.  
  
Link: Thank you, and good luck.  
  
General: same to you.  
  
Link went back into the tent and took off the wrappings on his head. He put on a shirt over his chest bandages and put a lighter one on his foot. He equipped himself and stepped outside into the morning air. He walked on his heel on his bad foot and lived with the minor discomfort of the pain. He took the horses He had been given and got the rest of his group ready. They said their farewells and paid their respects to Formar. And then as the sun got up in the sky the rode in pursuit of the Belrog. They were in large plains and so riding was easy. They rode full speed so they could over as much ground as possible. By noon they could see a faint red glow in the distance. That was the faint outline of the beast. This is when they stopped and ate for a bit before riding again. They rocketed across the plain like streaks off lighting in pursuit off a metal rod. Soon they had caught up with the beast and slowed their speed so the horses could have a bit of a relief. The belrog was stomping across the plains leaving large footprints. They were close to the forest. Near the Forest loomed Mt. Welip Home off many Gorons, but it had been evacuated upon the news of a belrog coming. But their neighbor Deku's stood their ground bravely although they were no less afraid. They charged up behind the belrog. It did not notice them and kept walking. Drom galloped underneath its legs and used his double axes to make large cuts on both legs. The creature let out a roar of surprise and turned around.  
  
Link: Hey! Remember me!  
  
Link took out one of the bombs, lit it and threw it at the belrog. It blew up in its face and the belrog roared in fury. It blew a blast of flame at them and the group broke off in different directions and rode in circles around the beast. Maku flung a boomerang at it and it bounced off harmlessly. Treom hurled a spear but it burst into flames once it pierced the hide. The Belrog raised its claws and struck Drom, just missing the horse. Drom was thrown from his mount. His thick hide had protected him so he was badly injured. The Beast blew Flame at him and it struck him in the chest. But this attack didn't hurt Drom because Gorons like the heat, another reason why they live on mountains, because they can work and be around lava and such things that keep them warm all year round. The flame didn't affect him. Drom hurled one his hatchets at the beast and it struck his shoulder. Drom leaped at the beats with his hatchets and both of them sank into the monster. He used the axes to sink into the hide of the belrog and in this way he climbed to the top of it. He sat on the back of its neck and attacked the back of its head. The Belrog flailed its arms, desperately reaching for him. Finally it was able to close a hand around Drom and lift him into the air. It raised him so that they were staring eye to eye. Then it began to crush Drom with its hand. Link fired his bow and struck the Belrog's fingers repeatedly with several arrows so that it dropped Drom. Then he threw another bomb at the beast.  
  
Link: help me!  
  
Link tossed some bombs to the other riders and they began pelting the creature with them. Belrog roared and whipped its tail, knocking Ralph and Maku from their mounts. The belrog shot flames through the cracks of hardened lava that made up its hide. The belrog used its power of fire to form a whip out of a long strand of flame. It cracked the whip, which made a loud "THWAP" as it beat it against the ground. The belrog lashed out at Treom with it and He let out a cry as it struck him in the shoulder and he slumped off his horse. The belrog turned around to face link and tried to hit Link with it. Link held up his sword and the whip wrapped around it tightly around it, encasing the sword in an unnatural flame. Epona charged and Link slashed at the wound Drom had made. The flaming sword opened the wound much wider and hot lava poured out of it. Link hurled another bomb at the beast. The belrog roared in frustration and flew up into the air. It flew to the top of Mt. Welip and stayed there lurking from the top of the mountain. The others got to their feet and stood watching it.  
  
Maku: we hurt it bad.  
  
Link: yeah and now we're going to finish it.  
  
Soldier: not without us you aren't.  
  
They turned around and saw a band of Gorons and Deku soldiers standing together with their weapons ready. The Deku in charge was speaking.  
  
Soldier: it's our job to try and stop that thing before it brings down the forest. We saw what you did. You must be Link. Are you here to help us?  
  
Link: well, yes. Savroth has imprisoned a member of royalty in our kingdom and we are trying to get her back. We followed that belrog here hoping we could stop it before the forest was destroyed.  
  
Soldier: we'll come with you.  
  
Link: it's strange; the belrog seems to be biding its time, like it's waiting for something to happen.  
  
Maku: maybe it's waiting for a friend before it attacks.  
  
They all looked at him.  
  
Drom: he's right. It probably is. If it's serving Savroth its probably waiting for more to come.  
  
Link: well we'll kill this one and any of his little friends when they get here. Now come on I want that thing dead by sunset.  
  
The soldiers marched toward the mountain, while the belrog silently watched them. 


	17. The Invasion

They now had a small army of about 30 to stand up against the belrog. Link had a score to settle. They marched toward the mountain and watched the belrog sit near the top watching them, hunched over like a gargoyle. The group that had said they had been sent to stop the monster consisted of 15 Deku's and 10 Gorons. They said that if the belrog weren't stopped it would destroy both of their homes, the mountain, home to the Gorons, and the forest, home to the Deku's. They had been sent to try and attack with the advantage of stealth, this advantage had worn off now, but they had the new advantage of the fact their opponent was wounded. Link gripped his sword and held up his shield as he walked as if he was expecting the beast to pelt them with raining bolts of fire at any second. They reached the base of the mountain and left the horses there, which had miraculously not been wounded in the chase. The mountain was a rather small one and had many small passages that led up it that had been carved right through the face of the rock. They passed across a small creek when the beast suddenly took flight with a roar and began flying over the mountain, making large sweeping passes. It was looking for them. The native Gorons took over and led them through side passages and secret caves. as they climbed higher the beast landed and began searching on foot, tossing aside boulders and sniffing inside caves. Soon smoke had begun wafting through the mountain air. Now they were near the top and were in something like a clearing that was surrounded by tall rock walls.  
  
Goron: we're almost at the city, we can find...  
  
But he was stopped in mid sentence as the belrog abruptly landed in the middle of the circle and flapped its wings, which generated so much wind that they were all thrown to the ground.  
  
Link: spread out!  
  
Everyone ran in all directions. Treom took the Deku's with him and made them follow him up a trail that led to the top of one side of the wall. They ran up and got down behind the rock formation. The Gorons, led by Drom took matters into their own hands and simultaneously jumped on top of the Belrog, slashing at its hide with their axes. The Belrog threw them off with mighty punches with its hand but they fought back bravely. Ralph got down behind a rock but the Belrog saw him and destroyed the boulder with one slash of its claws. He could have killed Ralph but just then the Deku's stood up from where they were hiding and hurled a volley of spears, rocks, nuts and seeds at the beast. The Belrog turned around and held up its arm to shield itself. He fired a blast of flame and killed several of the Deku troops. Maku leaped at it and clung to its chest, and then he slashed at the skin covering its heart. He ripped it open revealing hot Lava. Maku had made a target that could finish the belrog if struck. The belrog punched Maku and sent him skidding across the rock.  
  
Maku: Link, now! The heart!  
  
Link reacted and leaped at the beast he sank his sword into the Belrog's open wound and pierced its white-hot heart. The belrog roared so loudly that it started small rockslides all across the mountainside. Lava exploded from the wound and gush out all over the stone clearing. Electricity shot out from the wound and zapped Links sword. Link was hit with a blast of electricity. Fire poured out from the cracks in the belrog's skin. This fire flew towards the ground and created a rocket effect. The Belrog was thrown high into the air. It spun wildly as it flew into the sky. Link grabbed onto one of its horns and held on for dear life. If he let go he would be thrown miles away. The two of them rocketed back towards earth. They had soared all the way to the top of the mountain. Below was a small lake that rested near the peak of the mountain. The two of them fell towards it limply. From a distance they looked like two dolls falling from a high shelf. They smashed into the freezing lake, which snapped Link back into consciousness after being zapped by the electric shock. The belrog wasn't finished yet it flailed wildly in the water and desperately lashed out at Link even though it couldn't see him. The small lake trailed of into a river and the current caught both of them. Link desperately tried to not get struck by the monsters claws but soon he was simply at the mercy of where the river took him. The beast was creating large waves and splashes and Link struggled to keep his head above water. Soon, He heard a low roar from somewhere near. It was a consistent rumbling. He looked down stream and saw to his horror that they were heading right into a waterfall. Link scrambled for shore but failed. The monster's flailing was so extreme that it was now pulling link towards it. Link got underneath it and gripped onto the flailing beast like a giant raft. He gripped one of it legs tightly but the belrog kicked him off and he was thrown a few feet in front of it. The belrog saw him now and tried to do a sort of awkward swim towards him. Link looked at the enraged monster and then at the waterfall and decided he'd take his chances with the waterfall. He swam full speed down river and the monster gave chase. But they were now very close to the waterfall and would go over soon. It was at this point that the beast seemed to figure out the concept of a waterfall because it suddenly began trying to swim against the current. But it was to late link was pulled down by the current and went over the side, followed by the belrog. As he was about to go over link noticed a large flat stone protruding from near the middle of the waterfall. He reached for it and gripped its wet slimy surface. He pulled himself on just as he was about to go down. The belrog swept right over him, just barely missing him. It gave one last feeble roar before falling over the side. Link watched as it fell towards the rocks at the bottom. It struck the side once before slamming into the rocks. The monster basically exploded on impact into ash. Smoke and ash mixed with the cloud of mist and what was left of the belrog began to float down the river. It was finished. Whatever Savroth planned to do had just been ruined. Link leaned back on the flat rock and breathed heavily. But then over the constant roar of the water he heard something coming his way. He sat up on the rock and looked back. Coming out of the woods were several dark forms. As they came closer Link could see they were men. Behind the men were many, many trolls. Enough trolls to single handedly take over a large city.  
  
Man: Aye! Where's that ruddy belrog! Savroth said he'd be here by now! We're gona have a hel'uva time trying to take over the forest without em!  
  
General: If he isn't here already then he'll come! In the mean time we can lead the charge as Savroth commanded!  
  
Link: looks like I found the belrog's friends. So, they're gona try and take out the forest? I better spread the word.  
  
Man: Argh! Look over there! It's the fairy boy! Savroth said to kill em if we saw him!  
  
General: shoot him!  
  
Some of the men grabbed bows and began firing at Link. Link held onto his rock and got down underneath the river for shelter. Holding onto the rocks in the riverbed he crawled his way towards shore. He came up near the riverbank where he could now stand without being swept over the side. As soon as he came up one of the huge trolls snatched him up by the collar and held him in the air. Link teleported with the green stone in his pocket and appeared on the troll's head. He sank his sword through the top of its head so that the end of the sword went all the way through the chin. The troll fell into the water causing such a huge splash that it knocked two of the men of their feet. Link watched as they were swept over the falls.  
  
General: kill him!  
  
Link used the fallen troll as a bridge and got back to shore just as the body was swept over the cliff. He chopped one of the men's head clean off and then sank his sword into another. But Link saw that a whole army was approaching to try and take the forest. It was a larger army then the small one they had faced before. Link noticed that if he stayed around much longer he would be hopelessly surrounded. He had to get to the other side of the bank and make a run for it. He ran back into the river and used his hook shot to spear a tree on the opposite bank. It dragged him across the river without being pulled over the side. He flailed his arms and splashed his way out of the water. Two more of the gigantic trolls were marching across the river. They're yellow eyes gleamed with the thought of smashing Link to death with their massive clubs. On the other side, men were scrambling to find a way across. Link heard a "KATHWUP!" as an arrow hit the water and struck a rock on the riverbed. They were shooting at him again. Without looking back he ran as fast as he could through the thick foliage. He eventually found a path and raced down the mountain. He looked back a couple times and saw a thick swarming cloud of enemies crawling its way down the mountain. At this point of view they looked like specks but He was no less afraid. Eventually he made it to the bottom of the mountain. Epona was where he left her but the other horses were gone. Next to Epona were three Deku's and a Goron that lay sprawled on their backs dead. The Deku's had severe burns and the Goron was heavily bruised. Link Leaped onto Epona and raced towards the towering trees of the Forest. About half way there He looked back and saw a massive army Marching after him. It consisted of mostly trolls. For every troll there were a couple of men that had it on some sort of leash or some other form of control. Link could see many torches and catapults. Even without the Belrog the army would be formidable and Link knew the forest did not have the defense required to protect itself from such a force. The Deku would need help of some sort. As Link rode into the woods he rode past many Soldiers that had rallied at the last minute in a scramble to put up a defense. Link quickly found Ralph, Treom, Maku and Drom. As He arrived an army of Deku's marched forward from out of the towering trees and stood in front of the Forest border. A general stepped forward.  
  
General: don't let them into the forest! Save as many trees as you can!  
  
The soldiers stood with their spears sharpened and weapons drawn.  
  
Treom: they have no hope! This will not be a battle it will be a massacre of Deku's. The enemy will easily sweep through this weak defense and burn the forest to the ground!  
  
Link: well better to put up a struggle then lie down and allow yourself to be trampled.  
  
But Link felt the same depressing sorrow of hopelessness. The enemy marched towards the forest ready to burn it to the ground.  
  
Link: well looks like this is the end, It'll take a miracle to deter Savroth's armies now.  
  
The Deku had not had enough time to form a resistance and what was here to defend looked like a couple of near by guards standing next to each other then an army. The Horde marching towards them could not be mistaken for anything other then an army however. Treom was right the forest would be lost. Link gripped his sword but it didn't give him the slightest sensation of protection. He could now see the trolls running at them and saw the sun glint of their horrible scaly hide. They had large clubs raised above their heads that were big enough to kill 50 men with one swing. Out from the back of the horde a trebuchet sent a flaming boulder high into the air. He came back down and exploded into a large tree near link. The Deku's near it were thrown from their feet and hurled into the air as burning leaves and wood rained down on them. A hundred other ones followed this first boulder.  
  
Link: sages, protect me.  
  
He muttered as he watched the boulders fall back towards earth. 


	18. Savroth

Savroth sat in his high backed throne and waited for the scout to enter the room. The thick black doors swung open slowly and in stepped a man with tangled black hair and armor. A Sheath hung from his side and carried a long sword. Under his right arm he cradled a helmet. Savroth glanced over his the mans shoulders and saw six of his men flanked by four of the palace guards. The man stood before Savroth and kneeled on one knee.  
  
Savroth: Stand, Glishnock.  
  
Glishnock: sire, we have ridden here from Mt. Helkiplier. We were attacked as you predicated.  
  
Savroth: yes I know I was there myself and killed Link with my bare hands. The belrog and the rest of the army should be finishing off the Deku as we speak.  
  
Glishnock: you what?  
  
Savroth: didn't you hear? Link is dead; I killed him in his sleep.  
  
Glishnock: I thought you killed Formar.  
  
Savroth: what?  
  
Glishnock: because, master, Link has destroyed the belrog.  
  
Savroth leaped to his feet.  
  
Savroth: that's in possible! I killed him myself.  
  
Glishnock looked scared now.  
  
Glishnock: did you stab him in the heart with a dagger?  
  
Savroth: yes!  
  
Glishnock: Formar was stabbed in the heart with a dagger. Link was witnessed by several destroying the belrog.  
  
Savroth pulled out his sword, Leaped in front of the scout and with one quick swipe he cut Glishnock's head clean off. The other men watched in disgust as the head rolled around on the floor.  
  
Savroth: CURSE YOU LINK!  
  
The other men stepped back in fear.  
  
Savroth: you!  
  
He pointed with his sword at Glishnock's men.  
  
Savroth: I want you to round up as many bounty hunters and assassins you can find. Tell then I am willing to pay any amount if they get the job done! And if I don't have at least ten bounty hunters standing before me by tomorrow it's all of your heads! Go now!  
  
The men bowed quickly and scurried out of the room.  
  
Savroth: He got lucky but I am not making any more mistakes. Still, the army I assembled should easily be enough to topple all of the trees in that forest one by one.  
  
Savroth snatched up his staff that was leaning against his throne and walked through the massive doorway. He moved swiftly, His black robes gliding behind him. He walked past many guards on patrol and down several flights of steps. He was now in a dank and dark dungeon. The smell of must wafted to his nose as He walked through the disease filled dungeon. He opened a thick wooden door and stepped inside a dimly lit cell. In the corner sat Jamie with her face in her knees. She was dressed in dingy brown robes and her black hair hung in her face and was extremely untidy. She looked up as Savroth entered and got to her feet quickly. He threw her against the moldy brick wall and kicked her hard in the stomach. She fell to the ground in a curled up ball and cried. A Guard stepped inside the cell holding a large bowl of water and two slices of bread.  
  
Guard: sorry, to interrupt sir. This is for her.  
  
He laid the bowl in front of her and laid the bread on top of her and left swiftly. She picked up the bowl and drank two large gulps, splashing water all over herself.  
  
Savroth: I thought I'd come to tell you that your friend Link is about to die.  
  
Jamie looked up.  
  
Jamie: you lie!  
  
Savroth: I assure you im not. He is currently in a hopeless battle, your father to. Even if Link or your father make it out, alive, Im dispatching bounty hunters to make sure they die. But don't worry too much. You'll see them again. I'll make sure to put their cold, lifeless bodies in her to give you company. But you wont be down here that long anyway. The Shield Of The Sages is almost ready to use and when it is I'll have no more use for you. I'll try not to make your death to drawn out or painful. Then again its always fun to watch your enemy squirm.  
  
He laughed and left the cell, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Jamie: Link's gona find me! And when he does your gona wish you were never born you monster!  
  
But even as she called after Savroth she could feel her hope deflating. She sat in the darkness and cried as she slowly chewed on the stale bread. But on the other side of the spectrum Savroth's fear was increasing. To kill a Belrog isn't easy. It takes a skilled warrior to do it. There are only a handful of people that have ever managed to do it. Savroth walked back up to the top of the palace. It had just been built and was still being built upon in some areas of it. Savroth went back into his throne room and sat, thinking. He thought first of how he would kill Link. Then he thought of what the world would be like once the shield of the sages was under his control. With its power HE could build the greatest empire that ever existed. It would be an empire where it wouldn't matter how big it got because Savroth would rule with an iron fist no matter what. He smiled as he thought of what his empire would look like. The doors opened again and in stepped two guards dragging a pathetic looking man.  
  
Guard: We caught one of your soldiers trying to run away.  
  
Savroth: good work. Well, if he doesn't want to be a soldier in my army, then lets see how he likes being a redead.  
  
Man: no! Please not that!  
  
Savroth: let this be a lesson to all who defy me!  
  
He stood from where he sat and walked towards the man. The guards thrust him towards Savroth. Savroth put his hand on the man's head and he called out in pain. He collapsed to the floor.  
  
Savroth: I'll bet he'll complete the metamorphoses cycle in two days at the most. Put him in Jamie's cell, but do not let him kill her yet. I think Jamie might like a cellmate.  
  
He laughed as the guards dragged the man away.  
  
Savroth: Im going to crush Link like a bug, but first im going to take care of his little brat! 


	19. The Forest Strikes Back

Link: FIREBALLS! LOOK OUT!  
  
The flaming boulders came down hard, each one felt like a comet coming down from the stars. Link had to dive out of the way as one landed near him. He stumbled and fell to ground. The ground shook as the boulders collided with trees, which exploded upon impact and sent flaming pieces of wood raining down everywhere. Link got to his feet. Many were already dead and the soldiers had been thrown off guard when the enemies got to them. The enemy swept over them like a cloud. The Deku parried the enemy's sword with their spears and swiped with the sharp tips of their spears. Link hit a man in the side, making a gash that spewed blood. Another came at him and link hit the man across the face with his thick metal shield, which broke his neck instantly. He killed several more foes before the trolls entered the forest. Link watched as the nearest troll dropped his club, uprooted a whole tree and then threw it at a group of Dekus, smashing them where they stood. The few soldiers that had been rallied now made no resistance at all and most of the enemies simply walked past them and destroyed more trees. The survivors stood in a group with their weapons drawn and fought of the enemy. Many of the Dekus leaped onto the back of a troll and stabbed him repeatedly with their spears. After a few minutes of them struggling with the giant the troll fell and made the ground rumble as it hit the forest floor. Drom and a troll had their hands locked to each other and were using all of their might to try to push each other back. Link watched in awe as Drom lifted the troll above his head and threw him down hard on the ground. The Dekus were dropping all around them like flies. Just as had been predicted the defense had been cut through in minutes. There was only about a dozen left and they stood huddled together ready to strike down anyone that cam near several of the soldiers made a large circle around them.  
  
Soldier: put your weapons down! We are taking you as prisoner! If you resist we will kill you without hesitation! Put em down!  
  
Maku: like hell we will!  
  
He raised a boomerang above his head, ready to strike with it. The other soldiers grunted in agreement and waved their spears.  
  
Link: no! Put them down! We'll do no good to anyone by throwing away our lives.  
  
Ralph: are you crazy!  
  
Link: shut up Ralph!  
  
Ralph: do you know what they'll do to us!  
  
Link turned to face Ralph  
  
But was stopped by the soldiers.  
  
Soldier: enough! Drop your weapons! Link threw down his sword and the others followed suit. The men moved in and were about to capture the group, when they stopped. There was a low roaring sound. It started out dull but steadily became louder. As it came closer it sounded like hundreds of small objects crashing through leaves on trees. Then they could make out several little wings fluttering. From off in the distance someone screamed. Everyone froze and looked over in the distance and out of the thick trees they could see hundreds of bright little lights flying towards them.  
  
Treom: The fairies! The fairies come to the forest's aid!  
  
The fairies came upon them like a great swarm and began ramming into the enemies. The bewildered foes swatted at them with their hands but the fairies easily dodged. Then they drew their swords and lashed out at the fairies. The fairies had to repel to the blows with their magic. If they were not quick enough tough they died instantly when struck by a blade. The group stood watching as the enemy fought the little balls of light. But the fairies could not possibly fight the whole army single handedly. Then Link watched as suddenly a rather long branch on a tree reached out, snatched a foe around the waist, and squeezed him to death. The other trees then began to follow suit and now what was happening became apparent. The fairies were not defending the forest the forest was defending itself. A foe lunged at link from the side. Link would have been hit but three fairies seized him by the collar of his shirt and flung him several feet. Link hit the ground and watched as the fairies confronted the man. Then he felt several other fairies grab his collar and he began to rise into the air. He looked around and saw the other survivors lifting into the air. The fairies began dragging them above the battle, out of harms way. The Deku's took advantage of this aerial view and flung some of their spears from above and take out enemies before they knew they were being attacked. The ground began to pound slowly just as it had when the trolls marched upon the forest. But this time it wasn't trolls that were marching into to battle, it was elephants along with a great many other things. Link looked down as they flew over an army of every animal in the forest. There was elephants, lions, wolves, forest wolves, ghomas, mice, beavers, caterpillars, spiders, skelutas, rabbits, pheasants and many, many more. Link looked up to see hundreds of birds and insects flying above them. The whole forest was rushing to its own aid. This was the intervention they needed to fight off this invasion. After they had passed over the animals and were out of harms way, fairies dropped all of them and flew off. They got to their feet slowly.  
  
Deku: We have a chance now!  
  
Link: but they aren't enough to stop the whole army we need to build a defense at the bridge!  
  
Treom: but we won't make it! The river is going to block itself off! We won't be able to cross it in time!  
  
Link: we must try! Hurry!  
  
Deku: there's a way to get across, south of here but we might not get over in time and we'll be trapped!  
  
Link: run!  
  
They got up and ran through the foliage of the bushes and trees. Link darted through the brush and received several nicks and cuts. Link could feel his heart pounding and sweat falling from his face as he weaved in and out of the trees. It took them about 15 minutes to reach the river. They could here the waves coming their way. There wasn't much time at all they had come to a spot with a couple large stones in it. One of the men leaped from rock to rock and got to the other side. He beckoned the others to do so. Treom went next, followed by the remaining Deku soldiers. Then went Ralph and then Link. The water was close now; they would be able to see it any moment now. Drom stared at the water uncertainly. Gorons cannot swim at all and their weight doubles when in water which means they sink to the bottom like a stone and drown. Falling in would be fatal. He slowly leaped to the nearest stone, stopped and slowly leaped to the next. He was halfway across when the roaring waves appeared from around the bend in the river. Much as the trees had been fighting to protect themselves earlier the river was making a great current so that the enemy could not get across and enter the city. Once the rivers current was that strong the only way across would be the bridge. Drom stared at the great wall of water in terror as it came at him.  
  
Link: hurry!  
  
Drom leaped to the next stone. Maku was the only one left on the other side and he waited patiently for Drom to cross but he was stricken with fear as the water rushed towards him.  
  
Link: come on!  
  
Drom sucked up his fear and quickly hopped the next three stones and onto shore. Maku leaped into the water and sped towards the opposite bank.  
  
Link: look out!  
  
Maku was only halfway across when the massive wave of water swept him away.  
  
Link: no!  
  
Whenever the river defended it in this way, anyone that was swept in the current was washed downstream and never seen again. Link walked towards the bank and yelled for Maku but was drowned out as a blast of foam hit him and blew him backwards onto his back. Maku had disappeared under the water for a long time when they thought they glimpsed a hand struggling against the overwhelming current. Link rubbed his eyes as he saw Maku desperately swimming as fats as he possibly could upstream. But he was in a stalemate with the river and stayed in one place fighting back the raging river. Link: hold on!  
  
He shot his hook shot just upstream of Maku. The hook went back downstream and right to Maku. Maku seized the chain and stopped swimming against the current. He went downstream and stopped when the slack ran out. Link felt a violent tug that jerked him off his feet. He lay on his stomach holding on to the handle of the device. Drom seized him around the mid section and began dragging Link backwards, which in turn inched Maku closer to the shore. Maku eventually was able to hold on long enough that he was able to touch the riverbed. He crawled onto land and gripped the grass. He pulled himself onto firm ground and lay there, panting. The others rushed to him. And so Maku was the first thing to ever survive the might of Wasberhn River in the depths of Lingoth forest. It really was a wonder that anything could stand a chance out there. Eventually Maku got to his feet.  
  
Link: We have to help them at the bridge! The forest bought us time but if they get past the river there'll be nothing stopping them from destroying the city!  
  
Treom: that was close! If we hadn't made it we would be trapped over there and would be killed by the enemy.  
  
Ralph: yeah.  
  
Deku: lets go!  
  
One of the Deku soldiers took out a torch he was carrying and lit it. He ran ahead of the others with the torch raised above his head. the others followed and they ran along the river, following it to the bridge. The river kept a consistent roaring as they followed it upstream and looked very formidable. They soon could see the stone bridge. As they got close they could see that most of the army was positioned there ready to hold it. Link saw the confusion in their eyes as they listened to the battle that the forest was waging with the enemy. They had no idea what was going on the opposite bank. He could also see the sorrow in their eyes. It came to him that a scout must have reported Link entering the forest and that word had long since past that Link had not been able to escape the enemy and was now dead. One Deku commander stood up on a log as they approached.  
  
Commander: let word spread across the world! It is a sad day for all who do not have a heart of evil and a day of great celebration for those who do! Today is the day that witnessed the death of the Hero Of Time!  
  
Link: I don't know where you get your information!  
  
Everyone turned on him.  
  
Link: but it takes more then a host of trolls to bring me down!  
  
If you had looked at the crowd you would have seen every single mouth hang open and gape. Many people rubbed their eyes and smacked themselves in the head a couple times and squinted. Link thought he saw one of them faint. He must look quite a sight he thought. Covered in blood and mud and standing with a ragged group of companions.  
  
Link: well, the day is wasting. We don't have a moment to lose before them trolls reach us.  
  
The group walked towards them as if nothing had happened at all. Instead of anyone saying anything every soldier got on their knees and bowed before them.  
  
Link: im very flattered but this really isn't the time.  
  
The soldiers were to amaze to speak. They slowly stood and resumed their positions. The soldiers all were carrying several spears and had Deku shields that had a red spiral on the front of them. Some had fairy bows. Several logs were being carried in and crude defenses were being built to block the bridge even thought they knew one blow form the club of a troll would shatter them instantly wires had been strung form one side of the river to the other to be used as zip lines if the men needed to get to the other side. Several of them were riding on wild boars and there were a few tamed elephants that were carrying large amounts of soldiers on them.  
  
A commander approached them. He bowed deeply when he reached them.  
  
Commander: Um, Link. Do you have any idea of what's going on over there?  
  
He indicated to the trees where fire was raging and catapults were being fired. Trees were being toppled and eagles kept flying up and diving back down. Screams, roars and howls could be heard. Link told him the whole story of what he knew and the commander spread the word quickly.  
  
Link went to the front line and notched an arrow on his bow, ready to strike the first thing he saw on the other side of the raging river. This forest was one of the strongest allies that Hyrule had now and if it fell then all hope would be lost. 


	20. Ralph: The Hero Of Time

Surviving so many things that would kill a normal man was what finally left all the witnesses speechless. But then again, Link was very far from normal. He had learned and practiced his skills when he was very young. Living in the forest, Link needed to learn all sorts of survival techniques to protect himself and when he mixed these skills with the strong and noble Hylian blood that ran through his veins he became very formidable by the age of ten. And as Link listened to the battle unfolding in the darkness of the woods that lay on the opposite bank, he knew that such skill would serve him well, especially since the enemy had chosen to combat him on his home turf. He took out his bow and strung an arrow on it. The Deku's were doing the same all along the front line. They sat silently and listened to the battle unfolding just out of their line of sight. Their anxiousness mounted as they closely watched for a sign of moment. Nothing happened for a while and then a enemy soldier came sprinting out of the woods being pursued by a wolf. Two arrows came sailing across the river and struck him in the chest. He stumbled and the wolf was able to catch him. The wolf leaped on his back and the two of them fell into the raging river. Link watched them disappear in a splash of white, churning water. They sat with baited breath. The battle was coming to them. In a few moments a couple of soldiers wandered out of the trees. They were taken out quickly but more soon began to seep through the defense the forest animals had made. The trees on the other bank began swiping at the enemy with their long branches. The men charged the trees and began taking them down with large double sided axes. The men and Deku's exchanged volleys of arrows. Soon the sky was clouded with spears and arrows. Link raised his shield above his head as arrows rained down on him it was not long before the first trolls arrived the crude wooden barricades they had formed turned into a pile of splintered wood with one swing of the trolls giant clubs.  
  
Link: aim you fire at the trolls!  
  
The trolls progressed across the stone bridge and they brought down about three before they reached the other side. The lead troll swung his club and sent the light Deku bodies reeling into the air. Link ran up behind the nearest one and climbed up its back .He stood on the trolls neck and fired two arrows into the base of the trolls skull. The troll began to stumble and as it fell link leaped at the next one. He plunged his sword into its face repeatedly. The beast dropped its club and flailed its hands wildly. Meanwhile the Deku's sent a volley of spears into its abdomen, which finally brought it down. Drom battled the final troll with his double axes. When the monster swiped with his club Drom blocked with his axes. Finally after awhile of this Drom found an opening and struck the beast. Several volleys of arrows and spears into the open wound brought the last troll down. The men ran across the bridge and the Deku met them half way. The two sides battled for control of the bridge. The Deku had the disadvantage at hand-to-hand combat but the odds were evened when Link rallied the Deku along the river and fired at the enemies from the side. The Deku slowly began advancing up the bridge as the enemy dropped like flies. Then five enormous trolls came charging out of nowhere and ran across the bridge, killing anyone that was foolish enough to get in their way. They got to the other side and began swinging their clubs and taking out dozens of men then five of the Deku elephants charged the trolls. The trolls looked up in horror at the gray behemoths that were bearing down on them. The trolls lined up and ran at the elephants. The elephants wouldn't have won but right when they were about to collided the Deku that were riding them fired a blast of spears at the trolls eyes. The trolls stopped and put their hands up to block the arrows right when the elephants slammed into them. They hit like a freight train and their tusk easily punctured the troll's hide. The trolls let out a roar before crashing to the ground. But the enemy still had tricks up their sleeves. Suddenly form out of the top of the trees came raining balls of fire. The enemy had launched about a dozen catapults simultaneously they all hit on target and took out a large chunk of the army. A couple more hits like that and they'd be done for. Link had to come up with a plan and fast. He found Treom and a group of soldiers and gathered them around.  
  
Link: Treom, I've got a job for you. Your to lead these men over to the other side using those zip lines you strung over the river, just downstream form here. I need you to get to the other side find the catapults and disable them. Can you do that?  
  
Treom: no problem.  
  
The others murmured in agreement and nodded their heads.  
  
Link: good, now get to it.  
  
Treom led his team to the lines that had been set up. They would only hold the lightweight body of a Deku. Treom grabbed on first and pulled himself along the line. The water lashed at his feet as he went. They got to the other side and hid in some thick brush. They were completely camouflaged like this. They moved slowly and were dead silent. They could hear the animals still battling the enemy just meters away form where they were hiding. Treom peeked his head out of the bushes and watched the fighting still commencing. A man ran by being chased by a swarm of bees. A coyote and one of the enemy's dogs circled each other and growled as they would in the wild if competing for the alpha male. A soldier was swiping hopelessly at a disgruntled frog. A lion mauled the head of an unfortunate soldier. As Treom watched the carnage unfolding something caught his eye. When he looked closely he saw the one other force had joined the battle. Women were also fighting the enemy with large scimitars. The pirates had decided to help.  
  
Treom: look! Pirates! That's why the animals haven't lost yet. Come on we have to find the catapults.  
  
Treom led the team out of the brush and across the battlefield. They went cautiously, avoiding enemy fire and not drawing attention to themselves. Soon they found the first one. It was loaded and almost ready to fire. Treom walked up to it when an eagle came soaring down at him. Treom yelled and ducked at the last minute. The eagle soared over him and its beak punctured the heart of a man that had been sneaking up form behind him with an axe. The eagle dislodged itself and took flight but soon after it did and arrow shot it in the right wing and it plummeted back to earth. The archer the shot the eagle jumped out form behind the catapult along with a group of others and they fired at the team. They all got out of the way, save one who was hit in the chest and upper leg. The team returned fire and brought down most of them. Then they charged the catapult. One of the men that had been hit got up slowly and fired the catapult. He smiled a toothy grin at Treom before his legs collapsed under him and he died. They had drawn a lot of attention now and they were being rushed at from all sides. That would have been the end of them but suddenly a huge host of pirates came charging at the catapult. They broke it into pieces and began fighting the Enemies that surrounded them. The attackers killed a lot of his team. A man lunged at Treom and Treom instantly raised his spear. The tip punctured the man's heart before he could hit Treom, but when he fell he brought his sword down into Treom's foot.  
  
Treom: YOW!  
  
He pulled the sword out and bounced on one foot as he clutched his bleeding foot. The pirates obviously had the catapult problem under control, so the new objective for the team was to get back to the others. Treom lost his balance and fell over. Many dead bodies fell over him and he was soon partially covered. He almost called out for help but stopped himself. Maybe this was a good thing. It was the perfect hiding spot. He could rest here for a bit and then when the coast was clear he would make a run for it. His foot was still bleeding badly but it wasn't a serious wound. It didn't feel like it he had torn anything in his foot and thanks to the Deku's thick hide it wasn't very deep. The sword would have gone straight through a human's foot. He listened to the fighting that was going on above him and waited until the action near him died down a bit. Then he sifted away the bodies on top of him until he was back on top. Hardly anyone saw him leap up and dash towards the nearest bush. He ran, limping slightly but still going pretty much his normal pace. He was shot at twice but both arrows missed. He dove into the cover of the brush and moved swiftly. He burst out of the woods and swung himself onto the zip line. He went over quickly and sprinted back to the bridge. The battle was still raging as it had when he left it. He found Link and told him about the pirates coming to help. Link smiled.  
  
Link: well it's about time the Guerudo did something useful besides trying to overthrow the Hyrulian government and replacing it with a dark king. It looks like Savroth lost this one.  
  
The rain of catapult fire suddenly ceased. The enemy had just lost a big advantage. The Guerudos had successfully disabled the only weapons the Deku could not defend against. The enemy on the opposite bank regrouped and assembled one last charge in hopes of gaining control of the bridge. The Deku met them halfway. Link stayed back and fired a constant stream of arrows and watched his unfortunate victims fall into the rapids. The last of the trolls pushed their way through and began killing as much of the resistance as possible. The remaining elephants rushed in to confront the monsters but the trolls were ready for them this time and they slightly outnumbered them. The huge beast threw each other to the ground, each time causing the ground to rumble like a minor earthquake. Several unfortunate soldiers were crushed by the raining behemoths. Link rushed forward and bravely confronted a very large bull troll. The troll roared and swung its mighty club. Link rolled out of the way. The club barely grazed his shoulder but it was still enough to launch him into the air. He did several flips before landing flat on his back. The troll seized a giant war pike that was protruding from the ground and aimed at Link. The whole battlefield seemed to hold its breath and watch for a moment. Link quickly rolled out of the way as the pike came down where he had been seconds before. He whipped out his hook shot and fired the chain into the troll's chest. He extended it to maximum length and ran around the troll in circles. The troll looked around wildly and grunted in a confused manner. Trolls will never be mistaken as being intelligent. Link ran around the troll's feet until it was wrapped tightly around the troll's legs. The troll had spotted him and raised its club. Link could have easily dodged the blow but suddenly, from out of nowhere Ralph leaped in front of him.  
  
Ralph: stand back, Link!  
  
Link: what?  
  
But Ralph thrust out his hand behind him and Link fell back onto the grass. Ralph very dramatically tossed his sword with an exaggerated "Argh!" .The sword struck in its right shoulder. The beast tried to back up but fell down since its feet were tied together. It fell down with a loud thud and died. As it fell the enemy ran back in a hasty retreat. The Deku gave a cheer and joined with the pirates and the wild animals to help drive them back. Link was not even looked down at and was trampled by the excited soldiers. The forest erupted with cheers as the last of the men ran out of the forest. The river instantly calmed, the trees went stiff and the animals ran back into the brush. Clouds formed overhead and it began to rain. The rain put out all the trees that were burning before they could start a forest fire the pirates regrouped and ran off in pursuit of the cowards. The Deku's lifted Ralph up on their shoulders and began carrying him back to the city. Link's jaw hung open. He was not use to not being in the spotlight and he NEVER had to share it with someone else. He fell back in mud and let the rain cool him off. He would need to be cool so that he wouldn't rip Ralph's throat out. 


	21. The Two Sides Of The War

Zelda paced back and forth. These sudden episodes had been happening more and more and she hadn't heard from Ralph, Link or her daughter ever since that peasant claimed to have seen them. She was beginning to grow concerned. Suddenly she went ridged. She suddenly began running around the room in circles and breaking things. She smashed a vase, ripped a drape and threw a painting off the wall. The guards approached her but when they did, she turned around used her powers to lift one of men up into the air. He seemed to be paralyzed. Zelda waved her hand the man went soaring across the room. He crashed through a window and fell a few stories before landing on a balcony. Suddenly she snapped out of it and fell down. The guards helped her up.  
  
Zelda: oh no! That's the worst one yet! I wonder is the other sages our doing this. I must see Rauru before someone gets hurt.  
  
She strode out of the room and grabbed a brown cloak. She hid under to make sure she was not spotted and quickly set off. She walked swiftly through the city. She turned down a dark alley and up a side street. She walked around the back of a building and walked up a set of stairs. Then she went through a stone archway and found herself in a courtyard. In the middle of it was a large temple. This was the temple of time. It used to contain the Triforce and it was where Link obtained his legendary blade and where Ganondorf had plunged Hyrule into his dark empire. Zelda moved the huge doors and threw off the cloak. She was in a long hall with stained glass windows on either side of her. She walked to the other end and up a flight of stairs. Before her was a pedestal and in it rested the master sword. Anyone who could not wield that blade was sealed away in the sacred realm. This was what had happened to Link as a boy. He unknowingly removed the blade and was locked away for seven years. While he was sealed away Ganondorf took over Hyrule and spread his evil curse, forcing the sages into hiding. But when Link rose up he was more powerful then ever. He freed the sages and plunged the sword into Ganondorf foul heart. Zelda stepped towards the pedestal when she approached it a blue light shot forth and engulfed her. The next thing she knew she was standing in the sacred realm. All the other sages were here also. She was standing on a platform and the others stood in a circle around her.  
  
Zelda: has it been happening to all of you to?  
  
They nodded solemnly. Zelda was one of the seven sages that kept Hyrule's order. Each one was given power over something. The sage that guarded the forest was Saria. She was only a mere kokori child that had grown up in the same village as Link. The Sage of fire and the mountains was Durania the ex- leader of the Gorons who died while helping Link battle a fierce dragon. The Sage of water and ice was Ruto, the princess of the zoras. Due to Links lack of knowledge in Zora customs, She and Link had been engaged for a short time. The Sage of the dead was Impa, Zelda's bodyguard. The Sage of sand and spirit was Naburoo a Guerudo rebel. The Sage that watched after the sacred realm was Rauru and finally Zelda was the last sage, who of course ruled Hyrule.  
  
Zelda: Rauru, what's happening? Someone is messing with our powers and he obviously doesn't know what he's doing. Rauru: I think I know what it is.  
  
Saria: well can you do something about it? If we don't have control of our powers how can we maintain order?  
  
Rauru: Im pretty sure it's the same person that was behind Jamie's kidnapping.  
  
Zelda felt a lump rise in her throat.  
  
Rauru: I think this person has the Shield Of The Sages.  
  
Everyone gasped.  
  
Durania: we must find him and kill him ourselves!  
  
Naburoo: Yeah!  
  
Impa: What can we do? Link has left Hyrule's borders which means the kidnapper has to. We're powerless to stop him.  
  
Zelda: not quite. Im not going to stand back and hope Link can save her im going after them.  
  
Ruto: we're coming to. We sent our warriors to.  
  
Rauru: there's still time. Rally all our soldiers and Lets follow them.  
  
In the blink of an eye Zelda found herself back in the castle. She found a messenger and ordered him to give the order to prepare for war. He ran out of the room holding a horn. She soon heard Him blow it and other horns echoed his call.  
  
Savroth paced back and forth in front of the bounty hunters. None of them impressed him all that much. Any of them could have easily assassinated the average target but he knew it would take a combined effort of all of them to have a hope at killing Link.  
  
Savroth: your target is Link. You've all heard of him, right? He can take down any of you so im ordering you to work together. And there will be no reason for you to be stabbing each other's backs because if he is killed you will all receive the same amount and that total will be decreased for every one of you that die.  
  
He sighed. He knew they couldn't do it. He needed someone with Links skill. That's when an idea came to him. He strode out of the room and into his personal chamber. He went over to his desk and opened a heavy spell book. He thumbed through until he came to the curse he wanted. The only thing he really needed was something from that person like a hair or an object. How would he get that? Savroth: the girl!  
  
He walked down into the dungeon and into Jamie's cell. On the floor the man whom he had laid the curse on was wriggling on the moldy stone. His skin was beginning to turn into flakes that were falling off. Underneath the layer of skin were pink patches that were turning into new flakes.  
  
Man: hungry! So hungry!  
  
Savroth: get used to it! It gets a lot worse.  
  
He picked up the man by the collar of his torn shirt and threw him against the wall. Jamie was staring at the man and was cowering in fear. She had one of her daily meals next to her that was partially eaten. The man spotted the bread and launched himself across the floor, running past Savroth on all fours. He snatched up the bread and tore into it.  
  
Man: yuck!  
  
He spat out the bread and took a drink of water. he spat it out all over Jamie who recoiled in disgust.  
  
Savroth: stand back fool!  
  
He kicked him in the gut. Savroth looked Jamie up and down and saw a bracelet on her wrist. He kneeled down and held up her wrist to examine it.  
  
Savroth: who gave you this!  
  
Jamie spit in his face. Savroth smacked her across the cheek.  
  
Savroth: don't make me mad! I repeat! Who gave this to you?  
  
Jamie: I don't have to tell you!  
  
Savroth laughed. Oh but you do! He raised his staff a red blast of light hit her in the head. She looked stunned for a moment.  
  
Savroth: I repeat, who gave this to you?  
  
Jamie: Link. Wait! No, it wasn't him! It was, umm, zeld... Link!  
  
Savroth: I thought so.  
  
He snatched up the bracelet and left. Jamie was frustrated that she had just given away that information but she knew it wasn't her fault. The man in the corner lay still for a moment then went into a seizure-like state of pain and began screaming a shrill scream. Jamie began to cry as the man's face began to contort before her eyes. Savroth rushed into his room and tapped the bracelet with his staff. Then he said the right incantation and a black portal opened up before him. Through the portal stepped Link.  
  
Savroth: perfect. Who better to defeat Link then Link himself? Hello shadow Link. 


End file.
